and congratulations to what you have done and what you are about to bring to late night television. all the best. and thank you for joining me. don't forget you can follow on twitter if you can spell smerconish. north korea says we were framed. now the secretive nation is blaming america after that sony hack attack. that you are bizarre new attack and to the u.s. >> and you think you have been an rough lights. wait until you see the week of wild rides in the sky. ooh.

>> good morning everyone. >> 10:00 here on the east coast. 7:00 out west. and we're starting with the breaking news. north korea is coming out swinging at accusations by the fbi that it is behind a massive cyber attack on sony pictures. >> north korea says it is being framed by the united states. and that is not all. pyongyang says the insults to its supreme leader showings america's hostile tendencies and while america continues to point the finger at us we suggest mutual investigation with america on this case. pyongyang warns of serious consequences if that doesn't happen. >> and all this as top sony exec is defending the decision to yank the movie from theatrical release. president obama calls that move a mistake. >> i am synthetic to the

concerns that they faced. having said all that, yes i think they made a mistake. >> we have not caved. we have not given in. we have pers veered and we have not backed down. we have always had every desire to have the american public see this movie. >> senior media correspondent brian stellter. do you believe him here? a lot of people roll their eyes when they hear that. and how does he make that happen if he's really serious about having the film shone. >> two days ago sony said not only are we canceled but no further plans to release it. now he's only saying we only meant that about the christmas release. but now the door is opened again to releasing the movie in some fashion at some point.

and in the interview last night, his impression from sony is they are not talking about six months from now. they are talking about pretty soon. i just checked with the head of sony's corporate communications. there is no update this morning on any distribution plan. but i do think we may hear about one in the days to come. there are active conversations going on to see if people are willing to step up and help release this movie. i was reading the new york daily news this morning. the editorial, patriotism demands, show the movie, show it now. >> there is so much pressure and that would be a real turn around if in fact we see this movie fairly soon. i want to play some more of the interview. listen to this. >> when it came to the crucial moment, when a threat came out from what was called the gop at the time, threatening audiences who would go to the movie theater, the movie theaters came to us one by one over the course of a very short period of time. we were completely surprised by

it. and announced that they would not carry the movie. at that point in time we had no alternative but to not proceed with the theatrical release on the 25th of december. >> so brian, is he saying making a case this is just logistics? it is a timetable they were really boxed in here? or was there another way he could have found to actually put that out there and not make the announcement that it wasn't going to release it on christmas. >> right. what happened on tuesday when that threat came out that invoked 9/11 and when it was canceled. my em impression was a series of domino's falling all together. and i do think there are other options here. for example, there was some independent theaters that were willing to show this film.

and say they want to show the film still. and sony rebuffed them. and sony has to tray to get on as many screens as it can to make as much money as it can. but was it possible to release this film in a more limited footprint? that is a question no one can answer right now because they are so busy in damage control mode. and even websites have offered to have screenings. gawker said thursday we'll even buy the popcorn. just give us a copy. so i do think whether it's that or something else. there are going to be a lot of outlets if sony is willing to hope out. >> people offering popcorn. maybe we will see this film soon. >> and the reviews have been horrendous. but it is the kind of thing now that is going to be a cult classic because it is going to be so controversial. >> lot of people are going to be watching it now. and get back to us on north kor korea's latest statements, if

fact they are now blaming the united states for being behind this hack. of course you can watch the interview with fareed when it airs tomorrow. >> threatening serious consequences if the u.s. keeps blaming it for the attack. the state run korean central news agency says whoever is going to blame our country for crimes should present concrete evidence. let's bring in bobby gauche. north korea is threatening serious consequences. the world viewing these threats now differently? anything more than the typical rhetoric after this huge hack? or is it more of the same. >> it is a little different. north korea has demonstrated with this sony hack they are capable of doing damage.

until now the main threat was towards south korea, where they have been hacking into the south korean computer systems for quite a long time now. now they have shown they can take this "on the road" if like. if they can attack in the united states they can attack pretty much anywhere. so the threat is now no longer just the prospect of a nuclear weapon or a missile test but a hack attack. companies and countries will be better informed now and will mount better defenses against it. but as we've seen with hackers in the past, they figure out how to get past defenses. >> so the white house says that it is now considering options on how to respond to this hack. economic sanctions on the list of possibilities. considering there are so many sanctions against north korea already, what will work, if anything? >> excellent question. it is really hard to see how it is possible to punish north

korea anymore. they are incredibly isolated. there is some talk of a reverse hack attack. but it is an economy that is mostly analog, not digital. there are very few computers outside of government and even within government. much of the work is done outside of the traditional computers. they are not really plugged into the worldwide web in the way that most countries are. and they depend on only one country really. and that is china. the only way to punish north korea is to get china to do the job and china in the past has resisted all pressure from the international community to reign in their sort of puppet regime in north korea. and i can't see china changing its mind now. >> and there is also this op ed that came out in the chinese run newspaper, making fun at kim shows lack of taste and they harshly criticize the decision to produce and potentially

release this film. should the u.s. expect some pushback from china? should the u.s. film office expect some pushback. >> well yeah, that is an indication that the chinese are not interested in participating in any kind of punishment of north korea. hollywood has all kowtowed quite significantly to china. red dawn originally the bad guys were meant to be china. and then quite late in the day the studio changed their minds and made the bad guys north korea ironically. so hollywood film producers are already quite mindful of chinese sensibilities and now it seems they have to be mindful of the north korean sensibility as well. >> thank you so much bobby. >> any time. he's being described as the lame duck on the loose. and if you watch president obama's news conference yesterday you might actually agree. some say he seeps less

restrained. more on the offense. and maybe even a man on a mission. so what is behind this turn around? >> and two things that do not mix well. storms and planes. can you imagine being on this flight? there is a camera on board obviously. and you get these heart stopping images. but the turbulence here, it really shook up an american airlines flight and all the passengers. we'll have more on this and the story behind it coming up. ♪ ah, ♪ h it. ♪ push it. ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby. if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good!

♪ did you know you can use an ipalmost any apple device?om really? yeah. give me a call on that macbook. alright, call you now. [ringing] [french accent] hello, pierre's bistro. uhh, i'd like to make a reservation. [french accent] there's nothing available! goodbye. c'mon dude. don't hang up on me. try again. call me from the ipad. [ringing] [french accent] huhh huhh huhh. you call me back on ipad you think i give you a reservation! you will never get a reservation! table for four. [french accent] never! ♪

>> before the president headed out for a break this was business to take care of in washington that included how to respond to the cyber attacks on sony by north korea and defending his policy on cuba. aaron mcpike has more. >> we take them with the utmost seriousness. >> condemning what we called a cyber assault from north korea. in his year end press conference, president obama called out sony pictures for pulling the movie "the interview," following threats from theaters. >> sony is a corporation. it suffered significant damage.

there were threats against its employees. i am sthympathetic to the conces they faced having said all that, yes i think they made a mistake. >> he insisted americans citizens and businesses could not be bullied in o the sensorship. >> they caused a lot of damage. and we will respond. we will respond proportionally and will respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> he also defended his most recent sweeping initiative, this week's surprise move to normalize relations with cuba. what i know deep in my bones is that if you have done the same thing for fifty years and nothing's changed, you should try something different if you want a different outcome. >> the administration hopes its actions by helping to bring more western business to the

communication nation will open it up. >> it offers the prospect of telecommunications and the internet being more widely available in cuba in ways that it hasn't been before. and over time that chips away at this hermetically sealed society. >> and after a frenzied years end he's got his game face on for the last two years to come. >> my presidency is entering the fourth quarter. interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter. and i'm looking forward to it. but going into the fourth quarter you usually get a time out. i'm now looking forward to a quiet timeout, christmas with my family. >> and north korea is now saying that it was framed and wants to work with the u.s. to get to the bottom of it. i have reached out to the white house this morning and they are saying they don't have a response just yet. but we do know that there are u.s. agencies trying to come up

with some options to give to the white house on how to respond to north korea. those look to be in the form of economic sanctions and banking sanctions but not naming north korea as the sponsor of terrorism. >> aaron, thank you so much. want you to stick around but we also want to show live pictures out of havana cuba right now raul castro addressing the assembly. we're going to be listening in and monitoring the things he has to say. and i want to bring in the editor and chief of the daily b. john great to see you this morning. the year end presser, it was really remarkable, having seen him. it seems as if he's really changing, the tone, the style. i remember 2007/8 covering him when he had all these promises and he acknowledged he was going to disappoint because he wasn't

going to be able to deliver everything. now he's dusted it off and seems to be going line by line, issue by issue taking on the last two years. >> absolutely. >> this is one liberated lame duck we're look at. and i think the prospect of entering the fourth quarter of his presidency is focus his mind and in fact energizing him. the typical way we deal with lame duck, i.e. the last two years of the presidency is to consider the person diminished in importance. we focus on the on coming presidential campaign. but presidents have the prerogative of changing history according to their actions and this is clearly president who wants to play offense politically and have opponents respond to him and in some ways frame the debate for 2016. it's going to be interesting to watch such an energized optimistic president going forward. >> and the president says the u.s. is going to respond to

north korea and also involved with isis in iraq. and the taliban in pakistan. is the president at risk here of taking on too much. trying to do too much in the last two years and maybe just not being able to do anything all that well? >> suzanne, i don't think so at all. and this year has been fascinating for all of the national security issues he's been in involved. i also want to point out of course you covered president obama here during his first term and i look forward to this news conference every year because it is so very newsy. back in 2010 you may remember, is that when he said that his view on gay marriage were evolving. there is always big news that comes out of this. this particular year he was very reflective and also looking forward to the next year but it was newsy just for the style and tone and what he hopes to be doing in the next two years. >> and john, it was newsy, as erin said. you are dealing with so many

things here that are changing. cuba's policy, easing travel restrictions, opening the door to diplomatic relations. that was a huge move and he's also using the executive orders to get things done on immigration reform, climate change. do you think he's abandoned in some way the effort or the optimism of working with a congress that is going to be dominated of course by republicans? >> i think he's made a decision based on the past six years that for all the rhetoric of wanting to end gridlock that he is not going to get put in a position where he's hoping republicans will work with him but he is instead going to try to set the agenda. and he's gotten off the mat and plays offense and put forth policy. immigration, climate with china. and historic things with cuba. these are all things that effectually put his political

opponents on defense. there is there a cost? absolutely. he'll a trouble negotiating with republicans. but they still have to deal with him on issues of the self interest where mthere may be overlap. corporate tax reform. trade deals and possibly infrastructure. so as a result even if he alienates a lot of republicans they will still have to deal with the white house to get anything done on their watch over the next two years. >> and erin, i want to bring this up because you were there covering the white house now and we saw for the first time, it was unprecedented, historic that the president addressed all female reports for his press conference. that's never happened having covered the white house for ten years. and there were so few women. literally. ann compton, andrea mitchell. count how many women get questions on these occasions. might with one, maybe two. but not everybody.

but the white house was trying to make a point here and you get to benefit from that, yes? >> of course. and we were noticing that throughout this press conference, you may have seen on social media, you tweeted about it. and so many reporters were noting and then after the fact, white house pres secretary put out a statement in response to some of the questions he was getting about it that they did do it on prp purpose to make a point. and it was a front seat to history and that is another reason why this press conference was so fascinating to cover yesterday. again because it is newsy and they made it newsy by doing just that. >> highlighting the hard working women who cover the president. erin being one of them. thank you guy. olympic gold medalist michael phelps owned up to the fact that made a bad mistake getting a dui and how he avoided

jail time. >> and the incident of ray rice and his fiancé. what the surveillance video shows them doing just moments after police arrived. ul. surface: so's my surface, it's just as powerful. mac: you can you write with a pen? surface: you can say that again. surface: i really like my surface pro 3. mac: hey what's that, is it a kickstand? surface: touchscreen too, it's pretty slick, man. mac: it comes apart i see. surface: it's got a usb. mac: i think i like your surface pro 3. surface: no seriously where can i get one.

the five things you need to know this morning. >> up first, north korea is

slamming the u.s. at the same time it says it wants washington's help. the rogue nation says the fbi is framing pyongyang for being behind the cyber attack and that it is an insult to kim jong-un. they are calling for cooperation with the u.s. and saying there will be serious consequences if the u.s. doesn't agree. >> and since the grand jury clear cleared. saying some of the witnessed lied under oath but he let them testify anyway. in a interview with ktrs, he said he had no regrets letting the grand jury hear from non credible witnesses and that it was up to the jurors to make a final decision based on all of the evidence. >> there is new video showing the moments just after ray rice

punched his now wife in that infamous attack. here rice is seen trying to talk to janay while she cries. but then look at. this they are later seen kissing in another elevator before being escorted to different police cars. >> and michael phelps will not spend any time in jail for drunk driving. he apologized but the judge warned him that another slip up could put him in the detention center. >> today is super saturday. otherwise known as the last saturday before christmas. and it is going to be a busy one. one watcher says it will be even busier than black friday with sales expected to reach close to 10 billion dollars. >> and you are looking at live pictures out of cuba right now.

president recall castro addressing the cuban national assembly at the annual meeting. here in havana we're going monitor the comments and bring you any news that might come out of that. and of course you know there's been a lot of o credit given to the pope for opening up dialogue between the u.s. and cuba. but is there someone else or something else to credit? our next guest says yes. that's all next that drank the m. [ meows ] ...and let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ] the internet of everything is changing everything. cisco. tomorrow starts here. [ shutter clicks ] hi there!

[ laughs ] -i'm flo! -i know! i'm going to get you your rental car. this is so ridiculous. we're going to manage your entire repair process from paperwork to pickup, okay, little tiny baby? your car is ready, and your repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own it. the progressive service center -- a real place, where we really manage your claim from start to finish. really. ♪ easy as easy can be bye!

. but change is going to come to cuba. it has to. they have an economy that doesn't work. they have been reliant for years first on subsidies from the soviet union, then on subsidies from venezuela. those can't be sustained. >> and that of course president obama speaking at the last news conference of the year on friday. as he mentioned, america's new friendship with cuba comes when some of cuba's old friends are

suffering, in particular vends venezuela. the oil dependent nation is in crisis and near default. senior fellow at brookings institution who wrote "shifting the balance, obamas and the americas." and also senior director of policy at council of the americas. chris, you first. talking about venezuela and cuba and the fact it's actually been subsidizing cuba. what is the relationship between the two? and why do we see this happening with venezuela's crumbling economy? how does it play in into diplomas. >> when -- was elected in 1998 and 199 he looked to fidel castro as sort of his god father. his ideological god father, his model. and the castros provided a lot of intelligence and support spo to venezuela as he ramped up revolution, consolidated control

over the state and actually began to disarticulate the media and other forms of opposition. and in return chavez and venezuela stepped into the void and provided about a hundred thousand barrels of oil per day to cuba. part of which it uses and part of which it also sells which has ban huge benefit to its economy. but they have been seen as being sort of ideological and even economic allies and sort of a front within the hemisphere that was very virulently antiamerican. >> right. and ted let's talk about this. venezuela a major influence in cuba's leadership. what was cuba's motivations in reopening relations with the u.s. >> i think there was certainly a venezuela factor there. the economy collapsing. but there is also change under way in cuba for their own reasons. they need to update and modernize their economy. so several years ago they began

a process of change that would liberalize the economy and move in a heavily centrally planned economy to something a little more hybrid. a socialist economy with elements of what you might call capitalism but has a long ways to go. so they began to allow people to open their own businesses in certain categories. they are allowing people to travel on and off the island. they are allowing people to buy and sell property. and this is bringing new cash into the economy. and the critical piece of that has been u.s. cash. cash from cuban americans, family members who are sending money back to their family and goods. and that money is being invested in the cuban economy in small businesses and allowing new economic activity to happen. >> when the president said that cuba has to change because the economy doesn't work as mentioned before, does he have a valid point here? cuba has lasted half a century with the economy it has. what is different now that makes

that a different? >> the president is right. first the cuban economy will probably only grow about 1%. it is expected it need about 2 to 2.5 billion dollars a year in foreign investment it is not going to get. and venezuela's lifeline is about to collapse. it has inflation over 60%. looking at about a 4% contraction in gdp this year alone. and with oil now down to about $60 a barrel, venezuela depends on 96% of exports on oil. and cuba had to look for other alternatives. it's own economic model is flailing and the largest benefactor is about that collapse. and raul castro has recognized he needs to modify the economy and has em barked on these changes and part is also beginning to reintroduce cuba to the world. modest but important change.

>> and we're going to give you this final one here ted. what was fascinating and summit of the americas covered this when you saw president obama deal for the first time with venezuela's leader. hugo chavez. and it was warm and people were wondering how is he going to deal with somebody our country has been fighting against for some time. how do you suppose this is going to look when the president goes and reaches out to recall castro, if that happens. >> i hope it does happen. and i hope it's a great opportunity maybe not to have great brother hood hugging and kissing but i think it is an opportunity for both the two of them and the whole rooeng region to stand up and applaud them for taking the steps they are taking, to put the cold war hostility behind them and engage as neighbors and have a mutually respectful dialogue. it is about time we do that. >> all right. thanks to both of you.

>> thank you. all right just in we're learning that the u.s. has transferred four guantanamo detainees back to their home country of afghanistan. and the pentagon says the transfer was a joint effort with the government there and that the release is part of an ongoing effort to close the deattention facility there at guantanamo by a. rarely do we actually feel it when it is this bad. heart stopping moments. broken plates. broken bones. but this is not the only scary sight in the air this week. there were more. we'll show you those nexting next.

♪you better pledge your allegiance♪ ♪you're not the only one ♪listen up forefathers ♪i'm not your son ♪you better help the children ♪let them have some fun ♪some fun ♪some fun.

thank you. ordering chinese food is a very predictable experience. i order b14. i get b14. no surprises. buying business internet, on the other hand, can be a roller coaster white knuckle thrill ride. you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. and often even more. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish. thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $89.95 a month. comcast business. built for business. an alarming warning this morning. if you are traveling during this holiday season, the state department is advising americans to be on high alert after a gunman in sydney took 17 people hostage. the u.s. citizens should be

extra cautious and maintain very high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance their personal security. >> and if you did travel without a hitch, i guess consider yourself lucky. there were some passengers who had to deal with some crazy, crazy stuff. a midair brawl, and crazy turbulence. ugly. >> watch this? >> reporter: severe turbulence. a midair brawl, a flight attendant scalded with hot water and an emergency exit pulled open. a flightening week on board airplanes packed with passengers. an american airlines flight from south korea to dallas hit severe turbulence. 14 people hurt, five hospitalized. this woman struck in the head with a glass plate and food carts over turned. the turbulence caused by a

strong winter storm off the coast of japan. the plane makes an emergency landing. everyone is now out of the hospital. the problem on this thai air asia flight, a passenger upset about her seating assignment tosses hot noodles on a flight attenda attendant scalding her. >> certainly airlines can do more than they are doing and it could come down to just announcing. after you talk about not smoking in the laboratory or you face a fine. why not saying there could be a $25,000 fine for causing a disturbance on a flight. >> reporter: then this causing the pilot to circle over the english channel for three hours before landing fuel. and caught on camera two women in a midair smack down. the fight reportedly stemming from a crying baby.

>> the good news is these are still the exception, not the rule. most flights go off with none of these kind of problems. but it does happen. >> reporter: from 2007 to 2013 more than 28,000 cases of unruly passengers reported by the airline industry. ranging from violence to not following safety instructions. >> you have people who presumably are nice people at other times in their lives but somehow you put them together on an airplane and they just lose their mind. >> reporter: rene marsh, cnn washington. >> broken bones, plates. fights. you got to be safe out there. that's why -- >> yeah you got to follow the rules. >> i take my noise canceling head phones and everything's fine. new shocker in the shooting death of the ferguson teenager michael brown.

a grand jury cleared officer wilson last month in brown's death. the da says some of the witnesses obviously lied under oath but he let them testify anyw anyway. >> during a radio interview with ktrs yesterday, he said he had no regrets letting the grand jury hear from non credible witnesses. >> there were people who came in and yes absolutely lied under oath. some lied to the fbi. even though they are not under oath that is a federal offense but i thought it was much more important to present the entire picture and say listen this is what this witness says he saw. even though there was a building between where the witness says he was and where the events occurred and so they couldn't have seen it. or the physical evidence didn't support it. and it it was on -- you know, it went both directions. i thought it was much more important that the grand jury

hear everything people had to say. and they are in a perfect position to assess the credibility which is what jurors. went on to say that witness who is lied are not going to face perjury charges. >> and we asked if they agree with that decision. >> i think he's being pragmatic about the situation. there were over sixty witnesses that testified in the grand jury. and at lot of them told lies. there is a lot of talk about witness 40 in the press the last couple day, a woman who's obviously a racist and gave a version favorable to the officer, which was a lie. but on the other hand there were witnesses favorable to the brown's version who said that mr. brown had been shot in the back, which wasn't according to the autopsy and other people who couldn't even see the scene. and later said that somebody had told them what happened. so if he started prosecuting everybody who told a lie in front of that grand jury, i don't think they would be

prosecuting any other crimes in st. louis for the next year. there would be so many people dieted for perjury. so it's rare this is done. could it be done? it could be. and he had a right as a prosecutor to proceed against anybody who lied under oath. but from a practical standpoint, if he indicts one he has to indict them all and i don't think he's going to do that. >> surprising notion there. so many people lying under oath. the department of justice has taken possession of a jim mat that a georgia teenager was found dead in. his body was found almost two years ago. i've reported on the mist of the kendrick johnson. he was found in the center of that mat upside down in the school gym on january 11, 2013. local authorities ruled the death an accident but his family believes he was murdered and the feds, they began investigating this case in october of last

year. the family also filed lawsuits against the county school board, the sheriff's office the coroner and pushing for kendrick's law, which would require all coroners to be medically licensed. >> we support the kendrick law and we want to leave a legacy behind for the world to see. >> federal authorities were also given copies of three discs with audio records of the day his body was found, also surveillance video. that federal investigation continues. >> a-list hollywood stars speaking out in the hack attack and the film scrapped because of it. their message to sony and their plea to get "the interview"scene. that is up next.

and cialis for daily useor you. helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

president obama is not happy with sony's decision to yank to controversial film "the interview" from theaters and apparently neither is hollywood. one its biggest stars, george clooney told deadline hollywood

that the movie should be scene. quote, do whatever you can to get this movie out. that is the most important part. and ben stiller says it is the audiences who are the big losers here. >> i think our count are is all about freedom of speech and self expression. when we start to engage in censorship that's ininfluenced by -- >> and a tweet are steve carell, saying sad day for creative expression. fear eats the soul. sony picture michael linton says to fareed zathat they did e

right thing. >> when the threat came out from what was called the gop at the time threatening audiences who who would go to the movie theaters t movie theaters came to us one by one over a course of a very short period of time. we were completely surprised by it. and announced they would not carry the movie. at that point in time we had no alternative but to not proceed with the theatrical release on the 25th of december. and that is all we did. >> so you have not caved. >> we have not caved. >> but it sounds like the hollywood stars disagree with that. >>, you know, you mentioned a few of the hollywood celebrities that have come forward and mentioned this whether in tweets or interviews. but yeah i think a lot of hollywood does feel like this movie should be shown. whether it should have been released or whether theaters should have shown it, whether it should be out on demand or

netflix or something like that. you know, you mentioned some of the stars. sean penn came forward put out a statement saying this is putting short-term interests ahead of long-term. judd apatow is one of the first to really speak out and saying it points to a dark future in hollywood. jack black, rob lowe, the list goes on of celebrities critic e criticizing this. and all are echoing kind of the same sentiment. >> and george clooney tried to circulate a petition but didn't get a single signature. what was he proposing here. >> >> he did circulate a petition and talked about this in this interview you mentioned he did with deadline. basically he was saying don't give to the ransom. so he circulated this to industry leaders. and he said nobody wanted to be the first person to put their

name on this petition basically out of fear. it is not just hollywood. any industry would be scared. but it just shows you how everyone is so scared in this industry. they did in this a calculated way. they first embarrassed people putting out the emails basically showing here is what we can do to you. and now notebobody wants to go there and support sony because nobody wants to be in the same position. and everyone knows it could be any industry. >> the theater groups declined to release the film. now there is some support at least to take this to a subscription service like netflix. what is the likelihood that will happen. >> again you are still dealing with whose going to sign on to put their name on this, to be willing to put it out there and will people want to then give their credit card information to, say, yes i'm signing up. yes it is easy to tweet about it. will people really do that. it will probably end up

somewhere. it is hard to keep anything secret these days. bit torrent maybe. but everybody wants to see this movie. i think everybody really wants it out there. whether everybody is going to stand up to put it out there to make money or just so everyone can see skit stand up and say we believe in freedom of expression. that is an sentiment out there. >> thank you for joining us this morning. >> thanks so much. >> and of course you can watch fareed's interview with sony's ceo tomorrow morning. >> stephen colbert bids adieu to his show and makes some history before he leaves.

final show of the colbert

report was a smash. 2.5 million people watched the comedian's last show hosting there on comedy central. and that may even grow with people watching later on their dvr. >> and the ones to watch series we're exploring street art. >> meet a graffiti writer from chicago who is painting legally for the first time on his own streets. >> i take really every day simple, basic kind of throw away things and reposition them and put them back out into the world to try to communicate with people something much deeper. i lived half a block from the train and the train would rattle my windows. the train line was sort of the main artery for this unique movement and art form that was being created before your eyes. when we used to run trackous run

the grate, the third rails here. if you hit that you are fried you know. so it's a really exciting place. being a young kid that had a need to express myself, graffiti was just naturally captivating and just completely consumed my entire life. it took over my life from about 12 years old on. >> in 1993 chicago's mayor richard daily launched a program to eliminate all graffiti from the streets of the city. called the graffiti blasters. works were routinely painted over and a constitutional law was passed to ban the sale of spray cans. >> i was always told knno. i was always arrested and locked up. or beat up by the police. a very rough city. one of the most antigraffiti cities that i've ever seen in the world. >> but things are beginning to change. >> you look around like all the cool neighborhoods have street

art in them. and graffiti co-exists in that. and those are the neighborhoods that are being sought after for some of the highest property values. all right. that will do it for this hour of the cnn news room. stay with us. we'll continue right now. . president obamaing promising the u.s. will respond. and the head of sony pictures reacts to the president's remark that sony made a mistake by canceling the christmas day release of the interview.

fareed -- and we've got your latest forecast just ahead. thanks for staying here in the cnn news room. me the r new developments out of havana this morning where raul castro is addressing the countries lawmakers. the first timing he's addressed cuba's assembly thins the major developments this week with the u.s. rosa flores has been monitoring the speech in havana. what has castro been saying? >> reporter: one of the highlights victor for sure is that raul castro alluded to the fact that the u.s. and cuba have shared intelligence. now, this came about when he was talking about terrorism. and he was actually asking for cuba to be removed from the terrorist list. i'll get to that in a moment.

here are some of the highlights. he started off with asking and sending messages to different groups and people. first of all, to president obama. he's asking him to use all of the powers of the executive office to normalize relations between cuba and the united states. when it comes to congress, he was very direct, saying "lift the embargo. that is what needs to happen in this particular case." he talked about the economy here in cuba and how it is strapped because of the embargo. now, the other thing -- the other thing that was very interesting here is that he had a message for el pueblo, or the people. he said, and i'm going quote [speaking foreign language] which translates to "it is going to be a long and tough fight." back to the terrorism portion, he made it very clear he would like for cuba to be removed from

the terrorist list. take a listen. >> -- financed nor executed any terrorist act against any person or any interest or any territory of the united states. and this will never be allowed either. every time that we have found out about any information in relation to terrorist plans against the united states, we tell the u.s. government. and for many years -- >> reporter: and you just heard that. so he mentioned that every single time that cuba has learned of a terrorist attack against the united states, cuba has shared that intelligence with the states. now here in cuba, in havana, from talking to people on the streets, one of the things that they were hoping to hear that we haven't heard yet are specifics. about how the new relationship

with the united states, or the proposed relationship, would impact their lives, victor. and that is what people here are wanting to hear. they want to know how is my life going to be different with u.s. and cuba relations getting normalized. >> still many questions to be answered rosa. rosa flores reporting in havana for us. thank you so much. and i want to bring up my colleague fredericka whitfield now. north korea saying it's been framed in relation to this cyber attack. >> and a lot is being said by north ykorea. another ultimatum being imposed demanding the u.s. to have them join in the investigation. north korea claiming it is being framed by the united states for the hacking.

and also claims quote serious attacks if they continue to blame them. more on what this new statement could mean. >> reporter: they rarely have anything to back up these fiery statements. this is in line in lock step with what we've seen before from north korea. this one coming very quickly after the president's year end news conference. this one takes all the liberties that north korea does with their facts and it is at times illogical and insulting itself. through for there are a few things interested with it. how determined they are to letting america they are, quote, framed. and they want to work as the mutual team in a mutual investigation with the united states. which is of course ridiculous

since the united states and north korea have no relations what soefr diplomatically. >> thank you so much kim. and right now the u.s. is deciding how to respond to the cyber attack on sony. federal agencies have presented had white house with a list of options which including economic and banking sanctions. here is what president obama said during the end of the year conference on friday. >> they caused a lot of damage. and we will respond. we will respond proportionally and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> joining us from new york, charles armstrong, professor of korean studies at columbia university. good to see you. >> nice to be with you. >> what is your reaction to today's statement by north korea that it wants to be part of a joint investigation with the u.s. and that it is the u.s. that is framing north korea.

>> it's remarkably swift and detailed response which i think took a lot of us by surprise. it seems to me the u.s. should respond to this. i don't know how serious they are. we should test that. either they are not serious, the north koreans are just bluffing or they feel they can get away with an investigation that proves they are not responsible, which is very hard to believe. but any case i feel it's worth talking further about this. >> here is a statement. we will not to the people who are willing to insult our supreme leader. but even when we retaliate we will not assault innocent movie goers. when you say the u.s. should respond, in what way should they respond to statements like that or in the latest acquisition it's being framed by the u.s. >> it's very unusual if not unprecedented for them to actually threaten the lives of the civilian americans in the

u.s. so this threat to the theaters is a little out of character which is to say they aren't behind it. but it adds a complication to this whole story. on the one hand i think the u.s. should certainly protect its interests and make sure that we're all secure in every area of our sicyber security and als see what sort of north korean interests can be targeted for retaliation. but while we're doing this it might be worth exploring further with north korea with a dialogue. if we're talking to cuba and a iran, it seems we should be able to talk to north korea at the same time protecting our interests. >> like -- >> we can't really retaliate in kind because there is so little infrastructure within north korea. but there are outside, financial interests, bank accounts which can be subject to american actions.

>> and north korea just market the third verse of the death of kim jong-un's father jong-il. >> it's -- on the day of his death. which is the end of the traditional period of mourning. in other words this shows kim jong-un is really in charge. but it is an interesting coincidence. the point is kim jong-un is very much in charge of north korea. and north korea, whether or not they are behind these attacks certainly has quite a bit of the cyber attacking ability that should be taken seriously. >> thank you professor. thanks so much. in the meantime president obama did criticize sony for canceling the movie's release, saying this could set a dangerous precedent. >> i am sympathetic to the

concerns that they faced. having said all that, yes i think they made a mistake. >> the ceo of sony pictures who has been a supporter of the obama white house fired back with our fareed zakaria. >> you are well known as something who supported president obama. >> yes. >> were you disappointed in what you heard today. >> i would be fibbing to say i wasn't disappointed. i -- you know, the president and i haven't spoken. i don't know exactly whether he understands the sequence of events that led up to the movies not being shown in the movie theaters. . and therefore i would disagree with the notion that it was a mistake. it is a generally held view in the public and press and maybe that's how that view was held by him. but knowing as i do the facts and how they have unfolded, you

know, we stood extremely firm in terms of making certain that this movie would appear in movie theaters. >> lynton told cnn he still hopes anyone who wants to see the movie will have the opportunity to do so. but he says that no major on demand distributor has been willing to distribute the film. all right you can see the complete interview with michael lynton tomorrow morning on fareed zakaria gps at 10:00 a.m. eastern. [inaudible] all right we'll see more of her straight ahead. also ahead we're hearing more about the grand jury proceedings of michael brown. and the prosecutor saying he

doesn't think some witnesses were telling the truth. so what happens now.

sea captain: there's a narratorstorm cominhe storm narrator: that whipped through the turbine which poured... surplus energy into the plant which generously lowered its price and tipped off the house which used all that energy to stay warm through the storm. chipmunk: there's a bad storm comin! narrator: the internet of everything is changing how energy works. is your network ready?" try new always discreet, a revolution in bladder leak protection from always, the experts in feminine protection. new always discreet, for sensitive bladders. up to 40% thinner, for superior comfort. absorbs 2x more than you may need, for dance-all-you want protection. no wonder more women already prefer new always discreet pads over poise. new always discreet. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. because, hey, pee happens.

thanksgiving week. well guess what it it could be

even worse next week. a the big winter storm is expected to bring strong wind and snow to several states. >> i know. as far as the nearly 99 million people that are going to be traveling on the highways it could be fairly treacherous. in the short-term a lot of people traveling this weekend before christmas. we've got some moisture that is going to filter in across the southeast. mostly into florida. but here is going to be the next storm maker. this area of low pressure moves across the great lakes and that promises to gather a little bit of strength. the computer models are still trying to sort all this out. on the backside of the area of the low pressure is where we're look aging at snow. for chicago, christmas eve, that could be a big problem as people trying to get out town. this is going to be a rainmaker primarily finish peopor people washington d.c. and later on in boston. it is a rain event there but for

the great lakes primarily a snow event. so thursday, most of that sneaks through but the backed it is going to be windy and cold. we have big problems on the west coast. this long stretch of moisture is aimed at washington, oregon, and northern california. here out of kingvale california. you can see how slow going it was. the impact could be some areas in the mountains could see between 1 and 3 feet of snowfall. now the snowfall levels are going to be rising. because this is deep pacific moisture kamd at the west coast. and for some of the coastal areas between 5-10 inches of rain. some isolated amounts of as much as a foot of rainfall. but significant snowfall here that pushes across the northern rockies. boise, the saw tooth, the

wasatch and elsewhere. and it looks like as we go through time that wet weather begins to diminish. but that is not until after monday, fred. so a lot of areas going to be impacted as we go into the holiday. >> oh my gosh. >> i know. >> just in time. doesn't it always happen that way? >> seems like. it. >> thanks so much karen. we'll check back with you later on. and then there is this new shocker in the shooting death of the shooting death of the teenager michael brown in the first interview since the garage cleared the officer. the prosecuting attorney says some eye witnesses obviously lied under oath bebut he let them testify anyway. he said in the radio interview he had no regrets about letting the grand jury hear from non credible witnesses. and says they will not face

perjury charges. >> there were people who came in and yes absolutely lied under oath. some lied to the fbi, even though they are not under oath that is another potential offense a federal e offense. but i thought it was more important to safe listen, this is what we saw. even though there is a building between them and what they had seen. so they could have seen it. and it went both directions. i thought it was much more important that the grand jury hear everything people have to say. and they are in a perfect position to assess the credibility which is what jurors doo. >> and as for the timing of when the the decision was announced mccullough saids he has no regrets about that other. triggered violence and protests and also nationwide peaceful

demonstrations. sonys says it didn't back down when it pulled its movie out of the states but next, the shock waives it has sent through hollywood and the celebrities who are criticizing sony's decision. it's just ordinary fleece

but the comfort it provides is immeasurable. the america red cross brings hope and help to people in need every 8 minutes, every day. so this season give something that means something.

sony has canceled the release of the movie "the interview". it is a comedy about a plot to

kill north korean leader kim jong- jong-un. sony insists it didn't give it too to the hackers to attacked the company. some hollywood stars are expressing their frustration about the decision to pull the movie. >> gentlemen, you are entering into the most dangerous conti e continuery on earth. >> sony's decision to pull the movies has touched off fear and loathing in show business. >> clooney's publicist confirms the actor wrote a petition of support for sony he wanted power brokers to sign. we know giving into criminals now will open the door to any group who wants to threaten privacy and the liberty. but no one would sign the letter after the hack. >> this whole thing is just

scary. your e-mails and your private stuff. and i don't know. the whole town is scared. everybody's got to be scared. >> but in one decisive moment sony bans "the interview" from theaters. >> i wanted to see the movie. i think this is the wrong thing to do. i hear in the film meryl streep is great as kim young ujong-un. and i said okay that's it. no more north korean movies for me. >> perhaps for anyone. insiders predict a controversial film subject. steve carell project also just got scrapped. >> you are not going to to see villains that have anything to do with that region and could be perceived as anything antikorean or chinese. even iran is off limits. >> seth rogen, a bankable triple

threat actor/writer/producer. delivered to sony the young male audience and big profits. costed little to make and reacted more than a hundred million dollars worldwide. but this dollar signs could save this one. >> so how much will hollywood change the way it does business after this attack? let me bring in the editor in chief of the movie website rotten tomatoes. good to see you. >> thanks for manager hahaving >> we just heard chris rock saying, you know, the whole town is scared. can you give me a sense of what these shock waves are doing in hollywood right now. >> funny saying chris rock is

scared. i think that's the way hollywood works. on a certain level you could argue this is par for the course. but yeah there is a lot of fear about what's happening with north korea. however, what i will say is i don't think that we're in a position that we're never ever going to see this movie. sony's already announced that they are, you know, considering different video on demand services or possibly streaming services as a alternate distribution method. i think we are not out of the woods yet. there is a as strong as possibility we may actually see this movie in the next three months. >> which makes it more interesting because if that is the case then, the initial cancellation of its premier on christmas day, wouldn't that move kind of undermine the statements that sony was making? >> well, you know, i think that the statement that their ceos made in the wake of what obama said the other day in that sony

runt really responsible, that the theater owners, i think that is a little disingenuous. before the obama statement -- >> why? why do you think that. >> before they said we're going to let the -- >> and you are saying they should not have done that. that is unprecedented. that is something unusual for a major picture group to do? >> that is very unusual. and i think that if sony really wanted to enforce their agreements that were in place with the theater distributors -- or i'm sorry, with the exhibitors they could have enforce those agreement asks saying you know what we want you to show this movie anyway. we'll figure a way to help you with security but they did. and abdicated their role in this. so for the ceo to say now well we let the theater owners decide that's b disingenuous. >> and george clooney is a real

power mover and shaker in film and outside of with the many tentacles of his reach but even a huge star like him couldn't be influential in trying to get insiders in the business to sign this petition against sony's decision well before sony, you know, made it so vocal. so what does that say? or does this speak to what you talked about earlier is the fear that really permeates throughout hollywood or what does this say that george clooney was willing to take a stab at it but nobody was willing to follow his lead. >> i think that is part of it. this is a situation that nobody in hollywood has really ever seen before. so i think that the way a lot of executives in hollywood who have this very conservative mind set from a business standpoint, when presented with something like, they are not going to do anything. so when george clooney does a very noble and admirable act of trying to get everyone in hollywood to come together and

support sony, i think the gut reaction on behalf of everybody who's a decision maker says oh we don't know how this is going to play out. the safest thing to do is not do anything at all. >> before i let you go real quick the president says this sets a dangerous precedent. do you think it is likely that other film companies would buckle or respond to the same kind of pressure or respond to any other potential hacking that could happen? >> i do think that's a possibility. and i hate to think we're in a world where creative decisions are going to be changed because of threats that may or may not not actually ever happen. so that is a dangerous place to be for hollywood. hollywood's never acted that way or very rarely. and i hate to think that is going to be the future. >> always gad to see you, happy holidays. >> thank you, you too. >> in the meantime president obama is in hawaii for the

holidayings but fired off a list of the accomplishments before leaving washington. he says he is no lame duck. and in new york history is made on the american ballet stage. my face to face with this young woman right here misty copeland coming up. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ abe! get in!

thanks, g. let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze! i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara®. it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ... stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®... ...your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems- these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine.

in a medical study, most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin... ...and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara®.

president obama and the first family are now in hawaii. they landed in honolulu overnight to begin their holiday vacation. before he left washington the president riddled off a list of accomplishment. erin mcpike is at the white house. tell us about this victory lap so to speak for the president. >> mostly it was about foreign policy basibecause as you and i talk every weekend there always seems to be a new global crises that the white house has to weigh in on and respond to. most of the press conference was about that. but he did begin by talking about domestic issues. economic growth and job creation. you know that in the fourth

quarter the unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent and just yesterday the u.s. rescue of the auto industry officially ended because they have now repaid taxpayers for every dime of that. but he did talk about a foreign policy and a role of u.s. leadership in all of these crises. >> meanwhile, around the world, america is leading. we're leading the coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy isil. a coalition that includes arab partners. we're leading the international community to check russian aggression in ukraine. we are leading the global fight to combat ebola in west africa. and we are preventing an outbreak from taking place here at home. we're leading efforts to address climate change, including last month's joint announcement with china that is jump starting new progress in other countries. we are writing a new chapter in our leadership here in the americas by turning a new page

on our relationship with the cuban people. and in less than two weeks, after more than 13 years, our combat mission in afghanistan will be over. >> now, a lot of people are talking about how energized the president seems. he also talked about how he's going into the fourth quarter of his presidency. and in the fourth quarter interesting stuff happens. but that he gets to take a timeout before. so of course he headed out to hawaii last night. and one of our intrepid photo journalists got his video of him putting in the iphone or the ipad or whatever he has. but putting some ear buds in and jamming out to some music. and said he seems ready for vacation. >> i thought he was a blackberry guy. so maybe he's still toting along the blackberry there. that's been his pda of choice. thanks erin. appreciate it. >> so this so called lame duck presidency. it doesn't look like it's

happening does it. so from opening up diplomatic relations with cuba, the white house is on a mission to get stuff done, especially since he has to no longer worry about elections. ron brownstein, and chris moody, cnn senior correspondent. good to see you guys. before we get to this fourth quarter and the interesting stuff that happens, let's talk about right now with cuba. raul castro, speak iing from havana and the promise from the president that there will be an opening of the diplomatic recessions between the two countries. he starts the fourth quarter quite vigorously. what is behind this more at ease president that he just says i'm

going to get the interesting stuff done in the fourth quarter? >> right. starting the a bang in fact. you can trace back going back several months the epa climate regulations, the deal with china. the broader climate deal in peru. the executive action on immigration. the white house statement on net neutrality and now the opening with cuba. i think he feels much more freedom of maneuver. more flexibility. he doesn't have to look over his shoulder at congressional democrats, particularly those from the red states. the seven red state democratic senators, the seats they were worried about that were a constraint on his ability to move. they lost all of those seats. the democrats are in a low ebb in congress and now i think he feels much more freedom to set his own course. but this will also have a big impact on 2016 the decisions he's making today. >> and i wonder with recall castro in cuba saying there are still some steps that need to be taken. he just said that just moments ago and the president saying, you know, what, this is just the

beginning. what could potentially be next? we're looking at the picture of the two of them, you know, shaking hands during the nelson mandela moment in south africa. so what could be next between these two leaders? >> president obama certainly started this off with a bang but there is much to be done in form of normalization. there is only so much he can do with the realm of his power. the next step is up to the u.s. congress to set an embassy and also to open up economic relations. but it doesn't look like that is going to happen, at least in the near term. you have senators saying already this week they are going to do everything in their power to block funds for a u.s. embassy in havana. and then they are also saying they are going block anything that would continue to open up economic relations with the country. so this is not the end of the story. it might be the fourth quarter for president obama and his administration. but it is really for normalization with cuba just the beginning. >> okay. and ron there are other things

on that list. i mean the president during that end of the year address, threatening veto power. and certainly saying in a matter of words that he is still very much relevant. you talk about 2016 and how influential he'll be with that potentially. but before that, i mean, what are some of the other things that you think he is hoping his legacy will be defined by? >> well i this i he gave us one clear hint yesterday at the very end in his final answer when we talked about criminal justice reform. and they are already, you know, what we're seeing essentially toer over the past year certainly is the president pushing the envelope on the use of unilateral executive power on a broad away of areas where it is a priority for him and his coalition. but the republican congress isn't likely to go along. on climate, immigration and cuba and other foreign policy things. the next logical area it would seem to me is criminal justice

reform and the police relations with minority communities, areas he already has initiatives in movement, but which are unlikely to be endorsed by the full republican concentration gress. al in many areas he's divided republicans. rand pall ul on cuba as oppose to marco rubio and jebb bush. so he hopes to divide republicans and create only fissures for 2016. >> at the white house things are planned. very little happens coincidentally. and this president called on all female reporters yesterday. and there are many taking note of that. we heard our own this morning who worked t the white house for ten years saying, you know, there was a ritual i guess that many female reporters went through wearing red so they could be noticed to stick out from all the dudes in the white house press corp.

what was there president so deliberate in calling all on women. >> it was definitely noticed but you are right, very few things happen coincidentally. i think he was trying to undue possibly the wrongs that have happened for many many decades. but i think he made a point. and it was also not just women reporters but he also did not just call on television reporters as well. and they had an opportunity to ask questions yerler. and, you know, so this is a way he can make a statement and get people talking about issues they might not otherwise be talking about. >> and showed a little humor at the start talking about the naughty and the nice list and they were all on the nice list. good to i see you both. thanks so much. happy holidayed. on to texas now. a the brand new immigration detention center now open. the largest ever and already drawing texas sized criticism.

find out why in a live report. suffering from the flu is a really big deal. with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source.

we all remember the surge of young immigrants into the u.s. this past summer. 10s of thousands crossing into the u.s. many unaccompanied mothers. and many with their mothers. nick valencia joining me now. the so called family units, those traveling with a guardian. some have criticized them being treated very harshly. what has come from that. >> if you ask if federal government they say they are not treated any differently. but if you talk to the immigrant rights groups and human rights advocates they say it's unnecessary. they are prison like conditions and the majority in these immigrant family detention centers qualify for asylum. that's why they are here. earlier i caught oum the victor

niebles and he voiced to me what exactly his opposition is to these facilities. >> it is just morally wrong. the wrong side of history. when i see these pictures many say it reminds off the japanese internment camps in our history. we're going to continue our efforts to help these individuals because certainly now with this larger space there is going to be more families and more difficult to provide representation for all these families. >> those cities he was talking about at least three facilities the u.s. government has right now privately contracted and they cost about $260 million to the taxpayer. so they are very expensive and they want to see alternative methods. >> and what are the altitude is? he made the comparisons the

japanese internment camps. that's quite different. we're talking about somebody crossing a border versus people in the states. >> these undocumented immigrants, family units they don't realize they have the opportunity for legal representation. he wants to see them given bonds and reunited with the their family groups. is problem with that is a lot of them don't show up to their court day dates. he is saying if they have legal representation that is an opportunity for them to go through the system. also there are church groups and other organizations willing to house them. >> wore talking about thousands. >> talking about like 90,000 people just this year that crossed the border. so this was a surge they say the federal government hasn't been prepared. but we want to be clear. this has been going on at least two years now.

>> what's realistic? >> dhs says they are doing all they can. and i asked them to comment. they didn't release a specific statement but they pointed to jay johnston's comments he made during the opening this week. it said that the facility promotes and highlight it is the facility --. will continue to work with them to address the conditions in those countries that are the pushbacks. and to reprosecutatriot they th here illegally. it a lot of people don't realize these centers are still out there. this is a story that proves they are still open and ongoing. >> thank you nick valencia. take a leap with me now. into something very different. this is unlikely ballerina whose now breaking barriers. my face to face with misty copeland you heard of it?

>> yeah the she's great. >> she is really taking the whole dancing world by a storm. her major endorsement deal and her collaboration with music superstar prince. narrator: these are the skater kid: whoa narrator: that got torture tested by teenagers and cried out for help. from the surprised designers. who came to the rescue with a brilliant fix male designer: i love it narrator: which created thousands of new customers for the tennis shoes that got torture tested by teenagers. the internet of everything is changing manufacturing. is your network ready?

i was thinking about htaking this speed test from comcast business.

oh yeah? if they can't give us faster internet or save us money, they'll give us 150 bucks. sounds like a win win. guys! faster internet? i have never been on the internet and i am doing pretty well. does he even work here? don't listen to the naysayer. take the comcast business speed test. get faster speeds or more savings, or we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business.

this holiday weekend in new york, the classic ballet performance of "the nutcracker" makes history with a new look and a leading lady. she is misty copeland. i met up with her face to face to talk about breaking boundaries in ballet and yond. >> i'm misty copeland, 32 years old, and a soloist with the american ballet theater. i'm a ballerina. >> and what does it feel like to be able to say that? >> it's pretty cool. i think it took me a while. well, to be a soloist.

>> to the limits, and to be a dancer, even more so. >> she is unique in so many ways. she's the first african-american soloist of the american ballet theater in two decades. her new york performance in "the nutcracker" this week is groundbreaking, as is her transformation from the delicate odette into manipulative odile in abt's "swan lake." all of it giant leaps into the historically monochromatic classics. >> never saw this happening with my life, but i'm just on this ride and i'm just trying to take it one day at a time. >> and how are you handling it? because it's quite the ride. we're going to be seeing you in "the nutcracker," you are the lead of that, the lead of "swan lake," you are changing the face of ballet, dance, and in a culture in america, if not the world, that is pretty heavy. >> i can make it heavy.

sorry. >> it's always been what i wanted. i wanted to bring it to americans the way europeans experience ballet. and for people to appreciate it and for me to share the stories of those who have come before me, that don't always get the recognition, as african-american ballerinas. those are my goals and i have so much more to do. >> reporter: including next summer, a turn as juliette, as in "romeo and juliette" at the met. >> i try not to kind of get ahead of myself and just dive into each project as i'm working on them, individually, and not get overwhelmed by the bigger picture, but, it's -- i mean, it's hard to describe, and i'm just happy that i have these opportunities, you know, even

with firebird, that the audience that was there that night was kind of changing, seeing a more diverse audience to come support me. it's a big deal. >> reporter: it is a big deal. and seemed far fetched 20 years ago, when one as six children, copeland would step up to a ballet bar at 16 years old in a los angeles neighborhood boys and girls club. >> it was uncomfortable? >> yeah. >> this wasn't the place you naturally wanted to be? >> it was unfamiliar and scary and as a shy, introverted girl, try anything that was new was terrifying to me. so, yes, it was terrifying at first. this thing that is like, this is my life. >> reporter: but copeland writes in her memoir, "life in motion: an unlikely ballerina," her ballet instructor saw in her gifts. >> my body was agile and just

capable of doing everything she asked. and i understood how to retain it. >> she felt alive and suddenly far away from what she describes as a chaotic and nomadic family live, her mother moving the kids from home to home. >> an escape from my everyday life. i was in this beautiful world with beautiful music. >> reporter: by 17, copeland headed for new york. her athleticism and dance standing out, gaining a special notoriety in this under armour ad, going viral with nearly 7 million views on youtube. she caught the eye of the artist known as prince, who incorporated her dance on his music tour in 2010. is it true that you felt like you had really arrived as a dancer once prince said, i want you involved in my music. >> something definitely happened during that experience. as dancers were told what to do

from the moment we step into that first ballet class, you don't speak. to be given the opportunity, it was just me on a plane going to meet prince in france, and i got there, and i said, what am i doing, what do you want me to do? and he said, whatever you want. and it was like scary at first, that freedom, that was kind of the start of like pushing myself as an individual and understanding the responsibilities it takes to be an artist. >> misty copeland. >> reporter: like using her celebrity to teach lessons. >> i came from humble beginnings. i wasn't supposed to be a ballerina. i'm african-american. i went through a period of, you know, being fat in their eyes and look at me now. and that's just the message that i want to continue to promote to kids. >> reporter: on this day, to young girls and women at the historically black all-female college of spellman.

what's the advice or encouragement you give them in their journeys? >> to keep people in your life who are going to support whatever it is you want to do. to not compare themselves to other people. just know that they are beautiful. >> an unlikely ballerina, finding her footing, and in the process, forever changing the world of ballet. and tomorrow is misty copeland's finale performance of the american ballet theater's "nutcracker" and next she will make her american debut in "swan lake" with the washington ballet in april. much more to come in the newsroom. your top stories when we come right back.

♪you better pledge your allegiance♪ ♪you're not the only one ♪listen up forefathers ♪i'm not your son ♪you better help the children ♪let them have some fun ♪some fun ♪some fun.

the ultimate arena for business. hour after hour of diving deep, touching base, and putting ducks in rows. the only problem with conference calls: eventually they have to end. unless you have the comcast business voiceedge mobile app. it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone

to your mobile with no interruptions. i've never felt so alive. get the future of phone and the phones are free. comcast business. built for business. developing now, north korea slamming u.s. claims that it is responsible for the cyberterror attack against sony, saying the two countries should investigate together to find the culprit. this as the ceo of sony says his

company vows to push on. >> we have not caved, we have not given in. persevered and not backed down. and it could be a nightmare before christmas, as millions hit the roads and airports, a major winter storm is threatening to wreak havoc this holiday. we've got the timing and the places that could be the strike zone. plus, new details coming out today from the prosecutor in the michael brown case. what he has to say about witnesses lying to the grand jury. it's all next. you're in the c"cnn newsroom." hello, again, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield. welcome to the "cnn newsroom." north korea is no longer keeping quiet about the cyberattack on sony pictures. in a detailed statement reported today by the state-run news agency, north korea claims it is being framed by the united

states for the hacking. it also threatens, quote, serious consequences, if the u.s. continues to link pyongyang to the attack and if it refuses to team up with north korea in the investigation. here now is cnn's kyung lah. >> reporter: just hours after president obama lands in hawaii for the holiday, the regime lashes out via a state-run television, with all of its usual bluster, the regime slams a u.s. government's investigation of the sony hack as childish. that north korea is being framed, saying, it can prove its innocence without using any torture methods like the american cia. those digs come in response to president obama, that the evidence points to pyongyang. >> they caused a lot of damage. and we will respond. we will respond proportionately,

and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> reporter: north korea directly rebuked the president, saying, it is the one who should respond, after insults to its supreme leader. but adds, it will not conduct terror against innocent moviegoers, rather, target the originators of the insults. >> you two are going to be in a room alone with kim and the cia would love it if you can take him out. the movie and the hack at sony also got north korea's bankroller and ally to respond. an editorial calls the movie's vicious mock of kim senseless cultural arrogance and that china was once a punching bag for hollywood. but now that the chinese market sits as a gold mine for u.s. movies, the teasing shifts to impoverished north korea. the north koreans and their fiery rebuttal to president obama by curiously suggesting that the two countries work together in a mutual investigation to find the real culprits. north korea saying if america

refuses, there will be serious consequences. kyung lah, cnn, seoul. >> and federal agencies here in the u.s. have given the white house a list of possible responses to the sony cyberattack. u.s. officials briefed on the matter say the options include economic and banking sanctions, but not adding north korea to the list of state-sponsored terrorism. all right, joining us now from new york, gordon chang, the author of "nuclear showdown: north korea takes on the world" and a columnist with forbes.com, good to see you. so, gordon, you recently wrote in an article for the daily beast that the u.s. should make north korea pay for the sony hack. in what way? >> well, there are many ways that we can do that, but i think that we should impose the sanctions that the bush administration put in place in 2005, and cutting north korea off from the global financial system. those were extremely effective. and also, i think that we need to name china, because china

cooperated with north korea on these attacks. if we were to do that, we would show the chinese that we're not afraid to talk about the obvious. and, of course, we need to make sure that this movie gets into north korea. that's what they were trying to prevent. and if we do that, and maybe by itself, that would be enough to deter future attacks, because that's exactly what the north koreans were worried about, that north korean citizens would then get the idea that they could get rid of their government. >> so now that north korea that has this latest response, talking about the u.s. framing north korea and that the u.s. would suffer serious consequences if there wasn't a joint investigation, does this same something different about the motivation? does it say more that north korea, you know, was grandstanding, or that this is a cry out for help. or is there some other theory behind the motivation in your view? >> well, i think that this is typical north korean propaganda. and, of course, they're going to try to turn the tables on the administration in washington.

but nonetheless, make sugar that sony doesn't release this movie on either online streaming sites or in dvd is really what they are looking at. and so, they are, of course, they're looking at what washington is going to do. but more important, they're looking at what sony is going to do with this movie. >> so do you worry now that this, that sony, saying we're not going to have the opening, and in large part, sony, the ceo, said it's because theaters said it would not show the movie in the united states, but how does this empower or further embolden north korea that, okay, this hacking thing works. maybe there's something else up the sleeves of the north korean government. >> well, certainly, you know, they were happy to do that, but the theatericical release is not what they were worried about. they were worried about having korean citizens watch this.

>> go ahead, sorry. >> so this is really going to be the main area of concentration of north korea. not what washington does, but what the studio does. >> and you think it would be interesting if sony or maybe a third party, would find a way to make sure that north koreans do see that movie? >> well, absolutely. because that's what they were worried about in the first place. the north koreans are willing to go to great lengths to do anything to stop that. and so we have to be prepared for escalation. there will be escalation regardless of what washington does, whether we do something or whether we do nothing. and if we do nothing, perhaps the escalation will be worse. president obama wisely talks about proportional response, but what we need is an effective response, because what north korea did in this particular case really goes to the core of american democracy. >> yeah, it really does. all right. gordon chang, thank you so much. good to see you. happy holidays. >> happy holidays. thank you. >> all right.

all right, well, before we headed out on vacation to hawaii, president obama addressed the cyberattack. erin mcpike is at the white house for us now. erin, the president said the u.s. will respond. you heard that underscored by gordon there. but do we know anything more about the specifications? >> fred, i was e-mailing with a spokesman for the national security council earlier this morning, and she was saying that they don't have anything yet beyond what the president said yesterday, though we do know that u.s. agencies are talking about banking and economic sanctions, but we do know also from yesterday's press conference that president obama is resolute that the u.s. will take action. >> we take them, with the utmost seriousness. >> reporter: condemning what we called a cyberassault from north korea. in his year-end press conference, president obama called out sony pictures for pulling the movie "the interview," following threats to theaters. >> sony's a corporation.

it, you know, suffered significant damage. there were threats against its employees. i am sympathetic to the concerns that they faced. having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake. >> reporter: he insisted american citizens and businesses cannot be bullied into a pattern of censorship, and promised retaliation against north korea. >> they caused a lot of damage. and we will respond. we will respond proportionately and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> reporter: he also defended his most recent sweeping initiative. this week's surprise move to normalize relations with cuba. >> what i know, deep in my bones, is that if you'd done the same thing for 50 years and nothing's changed, you should try something different, if you

want a different outcome. >> reporter: the administration hopes its actions by helping to bring more western business to the communist nation will open it up. >> it offers the prospect of telecommunications and the internet, being more widely available in cuba in ways that it hasn't been before. and over time, that chips away at this hermetically sealed society. >> reporter: and after a frenzied years end, he's got his game face on for last two years to come. >> my presidency is entering the fourth quarter. interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter. and i'm looking forward to it. but, you know, going into the fourth quarter, you usually get a time-out. i'm now looking forward to a quiet time-out. christmas with my family. >> reporter: as to north korea's new claim that it was framed, we did reach out to the white house about that and they're not yet

responding about that, fred. >> erin mcpike, thank you so much, keep us posted from the white house. so the president left to spend christmas in hawaii right after that news conference. and if you're also traveling for the holidays, well, guess what. you're going to want to hear the forecast, coming up. we'll have that. also, next, cuba reacting to that historic change in policy with the u.s. live in havana. >> hi, fred. well, days after the u.s. and cuba reestablished relations after more than 50 years, raul castro makes a few requests. what he's asking from whom, next. thanks. ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to enable global commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. great job. (mandarin) ♪ cut it out.

>>see you tomorrow. ♪ [ high-pitched ] nailed it! [ normal voice ] you're right, that was really easy. i know, i told you so. on progressive.com, you can compare our progressive direct rates with our competitors' rates, so shopping is easy. you don't sound like flo. [high-pitched] yeah, i do. [ clears throat ] who you talking to? [ normal voice ] what? what's on your hand? noth-- my wedding ring. [chuckles] symbol of our love and understanding. comparing rates for you. now that's progressive. [ high-pitched ] nailed it!

all right. happening a short time ago, cuban president raul castro speaking out on the major developments with the u.s. he hailed the u.s. decision to thaw relations in a speech before the country's national assembly today. but also told lawmakers there is still a long road ahead for the two countries. cnn's rosa flores is in havana for us today. so what more did president castro say? >> reporter: well, fred, good afternoon. you know, one of the easiest ways, probably, to summarize this is by a quote from raul castro, which he said a message to his people. that's going to be, a long and tough fight for the u.s. and for

cuba as well. that was a message to his people, because he knows, as we all know, that even though there's this reestablished diplomatic conversation, lifting of the embargo still requires action by congress. now, raul castro also had a message for other groups, including president obama, first of all. he said, he's asking him to exercise the full powers of the executive office, through those executive orders. his message to congress, to lift the kbembargo. and he mentioned repeatedly how it impacts the economy here in cuba. now, the other thing that he requested from the united states is the removal of cuba from the terrorist list. he made it very clear, he said it very clear in that speech that cuba has never supported or funded any activity that has caused terrorism in the united states, and that wherever cuba

has known, has had intelligence of a terrorist attack in the united states, that they have shared that information with america. now, here's one of the things that he didn't mention, that probably the cuban people were expecting to hear. and those are the little details as to how this new established relationship would impact their daily lives. fred? >> and, so, what are ordinary cubanos saying about the potential now that the two countries are coming together and thawing and also beefing up diplomatic relations? >> reporter: you know, initially, there was this euphoria. people were very excited and happy, shocked, in fact. people they talked to on the street said, you know, the announcement came during the work, so people were at work. so at work, they were hugging. the students had a demonstration on the streets of havana, and

then, they stepped back and said, wait a minute, so how is that going to impact our daily lives. so they're measuring their optimism at this point, trying to figure out, how is this going to impact my day-to-day. and that's what they were hoping to hear today. we didn't hear those details, but i'm sure they're going to be anxious to learn. >> right, i guess it's still early. nobody really knows. and in some circles, that's very exciting, and in others, that's very nerve-racking. rosa flores, thank you so much. we'll check back with you from havana. all right. that reaction is more mixed now, particularly in the u.s. some cuban-americans had these strong words for president obam obama. >> anger coming from older generations, but in the younger generations, the feelings are much more hopeful and optimistic. for more on this, i'm joined now by a young cuban american joining us from miami. raul moses, with the nonprofit,

roots of hope. their goal, the group, is to help young people in cuba build better futures. so rosa flores, i think, is also still going to join us. so raul, what is the conversation like these days, since the announcement from president obama, with your elders? >> sure. fred, it's great to be here. the conversation in miami has been very mixed and very muted. i think the clip we just saw exemplifies a very vocal but small minority in miami, that doesn't necessarily reflect the general trend and the general sentiments in the community. president obama's announcement was really broad and really deep. not only are we republishing diplomatic relations with cuba, but there's also a prisoner swap. so some of these moves was really welcomed. i would say, by most cuban americans, whereas others like the prisoner swap had really much more stronger feelings from that move. and so overall, though, i'd say

that there is cautious optimism that the spaces created through these moves will be encouraging and will be strengthening for cuba's society. and that's really our homework now. how can we then take these opportunities to further grow private enterprise, further increase access to technology, further increase the flow of information, to and from the island. >> so, raul, what excites you most about the possibilities? >> our work at roots of hope has focused on using technology, private enterprise, to really further strengthen cuba's sews, particularly young cubans, who all they really want is to have a dignified life for themselves and their kids and their families in cuba. the average cuban does not want to leave the island. if we can provide more opportunities for young cubans to stay on the island, build a better cuba for themselves and future generations, and in the process, be changemakers, changing the society from the ground up, that really would be amazing. and that's what i think these changes and policy on both sides hopefully represent. it's very early. we need to see how both sides

implement these changes. i'm under no illusion that raul castro and the cuban government will all of a sudden open up the democratic reforms. i don't think anyone is. but we have to now put them to the test. we have to not hold them accountable to that. >> rosa, let me bring you back into this from havana. because many of the people living in havana really are living in a time warp. because there is no other reference point, to some, you know, there are no rell complai real complaints. but when you hear raul talk about the use of technology as something to be excited about, the average cuban doesn't have his hands on a cell phone, are not on the internet regularly, so what is the point of view of the potential of the use of technology there from the cubans that you've spoken to? >> reporter: you know, i had a very dynamic conversation, in an area of havana called the hot corner. people go there to chat just about anything. and it's always a very dynamic conversation. in fact, one of the individuals

who was there was talking about the importance of the internet. he called it survival. the people here needed for survival. they'd be able to communicate, for example, with their family in the united states, which is essential, because a lot of these people have been separated. so there's the issue of separation of families that technology in the u.s. has helped even people living on coast-to-coast to keep communicating. that was one thing, of course. intellectually, it's one of the things that, of course, a lot of these people would want to have access to. the other thing that they pointed out was jobs. one man sumply said, rosa, we just want to work. we just want to have opportun y opportunities. and that's what people here see when they hear about the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the lifting of the embargo. they seep opportunity. americans coming into the united states, buying goods, tipping people. this is a tourist area, but where are the tourists? and so there's a lot of

excitement and hope and there's, i think, the establishment of hope, simply with the establishment of a conversation. and it doesn't stop there. there are people who are really hoping that this means something new for the next generation. >> and many of the tourists right now in cuba are europeans. so i wonder, raul, for you, or maybe even for some of your contemporaries, are you starting to talk about or even envisioning the idea of visiting cuba, whether it be for business opportunities or just simply to get to know the island and get to be closer to your roots? >> without a doubt. i think you hit the nail on the head there. the genesis of our movement of roots of hope really was a desire to connect with our heritage. we are american. this is our country, but we deeply care for our parents and grandparents. i was able to visit cuba for the first time in march of 2011, and what i heard from every person that i met was, welcome, welcome

back, in some ways. you are as cuban as we are. and as soon as we flipped the page on this ugly chapter in our shared country's history, we're going to be okay. the cuban family will be okay. so we promote what we call purposeful travel. we encourage those who visit the island to bring a cell phone, to bring a flash drive, to bring information, and then to leave as well, we encourage them to go off the beaten path, as rosa is there, she can tell you firsthand, all the new businesses have come up, all the private bed and breakfasts and private restaurants. so really connecting with the average cuban is something that's transformational both for the tourists that goes with that purpose and for the cuban. >> raul and rosa, thank you both. so let's talk about traveling within the u.s. right now for the holiday season, next week, in particular, the weather, guess what, well, it could be a bit of a problem. meteorologist karen maginnis here with us now. karen, i wish you had good news for us. >> i do too, but we're looking at the chances for a significant winter storm developing.

and a major pacific storm blasts the west coast. we'll bring you details right after this. once there was a girl who always mixed and matched. even in her laundry room. with downy unstopables for long-lasting scent. and infusions for softness. she created her own mix, match, magic.

downy, wash in the wow.

a winter storm is expected to create quite the delays for the holiday traveler, much like we saw over the thanksgiving holiday. but, guess what? this time it could be worse. the storm is expected to bring

snow, rain, and high winds to more than two dozen states. cnn meteorologist karen maginnis here to tell us what we can expect. and any way to avoid it? >> it looks like the midwest the going to be the worst, but that's not going to be confined to that. we're looking at it up and down the eastern seaboard. but mostly a rain event in places like new york and boston and washington, d.c. but if you are traveling into or out of minneapolis, chicago, and detroit, those are the key cities that you might expect some delays. that takes us through monday, and this is going to be the pesky area of low pressure that the computer models are struggling to come together, but it looks like out ahead of it, we've got rainfall on the backside of this, drawing in all that cold air, and the wind is going to be brisk. so we take you, going into christmas eve, there you can see, wrapped around that area of low pressure from minneapolis, chicago, detroit, maybe some of these lower great lakes regions, but out ahead of it, it's wet weather in boston and new york. but then going into christmas

day, watch out for the brisk winds along the eastern seaboard. for the west coast, i want to show you some pictures out of king vale. this is in the sierra nevada, they're expecting between 1 and 3 feet of snowfall. and you can see major travel delays. and one of the things that we're looking at is a lot of rainfall in some of the coastal areas. you may remember back in thanksgiving, all the travel delays that we saw then. now for the pacific northwest, all the way from seattle to portland, all the way down through san francisco, although lighter amounts expected there, we could see upwards of 10 plus inches of rainfall in some of these areas. i know, fred, as incredible as that is, but this moves out into the rockies as we go into the next several days, but it looks like pretty much big headaches for the great lakes region. >> oh, my goodness. something tells me a lot of folks are adjusting their travel plans now. >> yeah. >> thanks for the warning, karen. appreciate that. it's not just snow catching people's attention as they travel for the holidays, gas

prices, too. now, the cheapest they've ever been in five years. it's as low as $1.69 in dallas, hard to believe. not that anyone is complaining about cheap gas prices. but just how did all this happen? here's cnn's rachel craig. >> the price of oil has plunged, falling to the lowest level since the 2009 economic crisis. but this isn't just about money lost in trading pits or saved a to the gas pump, oil is a signal for the global economy. it powers the planet, supplying a third of all energy consumed. so, in a sense, the economic activity of billions of people is reflected in the price of a single barrel of crude. let's break down the global game of supply and demand that's driving the drop. the world is producing more oil, especially in america. new technologies allow companies to extract oil from shale rock,

boosting u.s. production nearly 90% since 2008. meanwhile, opec, the international cartel that represents many of the biggest oil-producing nations, isn't turning off its spigot, keeping production levels stable. while new oil floods the market, demand is falling. economic stumbles in china have curbed the world's thirst and oil consumption will grow by less than 1% this year. low demand, high supply, a perfect recipe for falling prices. which helps one part of the economy and hurts another. who's benefiting? consumers. the energy department expects prices to average $2.60 a gallon next year, the lowest in five years. that gives u.s. consumers an extra $60 billion to spend. getting hurt, the american energy industry. u.s. production costs are high, and if companies scale back, that could threaten jobs, especially in states like north dakota, pennsylvania, and texas.

local jobs, international demand. american production and chinese consumption. all that activity is summed up in a drop of oil. so watch out when oil drops. >> all right. thanks so much to cnn money's rachael crane. president obama made headlines when he said sony made a mistake in cancelling the movie theater opening after threats from north korea. now the ceo of sony pictures is firing back. >> the president, the press, and the public are mistaken as to what actually happened. >> he explains what did happen, coming up.

dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future.you. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them.

if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. (vo)rescued.ed. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. all right. welcome back. i'm fredricka whitfield. here's a look at the top stories making news right now. in australia, a woman suspected of killing eight children has been arrested. seven of the kids who range in

age from 2 to 14 were her own. the eighth child was her niece. australian media reports that at least some of the victims were stabbed. the 37-year-old suspect also had wounds. she is being hospitalized and under police guard. and chrysler is expanding its recall of cars and trucks equipped with takata air bags to more than 3 million older model vehicles worldwide. the recall comes over fears the air bags can explode and send shrapnel into drivers and passengers. chrysler had limited its recall to areas with high humidity, where the air bags are believed to be more likely to rupture. and amazing video to show you from an accident northeast of atlanta. you can see an officer making a routine traffic stop. as he is returning to his car, whoa, right there, a fedex truck barrels right into him. rescue workers needed the jaws of life to pull the fedex driver out. he was airlifted to a hospital. the officer, not seriously

injured. and a major break in one of the biggest art heists in history. nine of 12 paintings recovered stolen from a home in encino six years ago. following a tip, investigators set up an undercover purchase from a man in an l.a. area hotel back in october and he's now been arrested. the recovered art is worth about $12 million. and now a new accusation of wrongdoing in the cyberattack of sony pictures. and this time, it's being leveled by north korea. alexandra field joining us now live from new york. alexandra, north korea issuing a statement today and kind of offering a new threat. >> yeah, this comes from their state-run central news agency. the response is long, it's rambling, it's accusetory, and at the end, it has a bizarre request. we'll take a look at part of it. in this response, they say, whoever is going to frame our

country for a crime is going to present concrete evidence. the statement goes on to say that america's childish investigation result and its attempt to frame us for this crime shows their hostile tendency towards us. and then it says, we will not tolerate the people who are willing to insult our supreme leader, but even when we retaliate, we will not conduct terror against innocent moviegoers. the retaliation will target the ones who are responsible and the originators of the insults. this statement goes on a little bit farther, but it wraps up by saying that north korea and the united states of america should do a joint investigation. and the statement says if the u.s. fails to participate in that investigation and continues to accuse north korea of the attack, there will be consequences. fred, we know, for our part, that the white house has already responded, saying there will be a proportional response to this attack. they are not talking about what the specifics of retaliation might look like at this point. >> and no response from this latest response from north korea as yet. alexandra field, thanks so much, in new york. keep us posted.

meantime, cnn's fareed zakaria sat down for a tv exclusive interview with sony entertainment ceo michael linton, who insists the company did not back down. >> the president says sony made a mistake in pulling the film. did you make a mistake? >> no. i think, actually, the unfortunate part is, in this instance, the president, the press, and the public are mistaken as to what actually happened. we do not own movie theaters. we cannot determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theaters. so, to sort of rehearse for a moment the sequence of events, we experienced the worst cyberattack in american history and persevered for 3 1/2 weeks, under enormous stress and enormous difficulty, and all with the effort of trying to keep our business up and running and get this movie out into the

public. when it came to the crucial moment when a threat came out from what was called the gop at the time, threatening audiences who would go to the movie theaters, the movie theaters came to us, one by one, over the course of a very short period of time, we were completely surprised by it, and announced that they would not carry the movie. at that point in time, we had no alternative but to not proceed with the theatrical release on the 23rd of december. and that's all we did. >> you have not caved in your view? >> we have not caved, we have not given in, we have persevered, and we have not backed down. we have always had every desire to have the american public see this movie. >> reporter: and i asked fareed what linton thinks about the big-picture message this sends

that a country can be threatened unless you act weequiesce to de. >> michael linton was the publish of penguin, the big publishing company, and he was publishing a few years after the salmon rushti business. and when he published his book and the romanian government issued a fatwa, all other publishers supported penguin press. all the authors came out in support of rushti. there was general support. margaret thatcher gave police protection for his for essentially the rest of his life. in this case, he said, or he implied that they were alone. that the movie -- no other movie has stood with them. no other movie studio stood with them. the theaters all abandoned them. george clooney in an interview points out that he tried to get a petition signed and he could not get a single person, not an actor, not a director, to sign it. which is a really stunning and very sad commentary on the

defense of the freedoms of speech. sony seems to have been sitting there -- standing there alone. >> and you can watch fareed's full interview with michael linton tomorrow on fareed zakaria gps tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. eastern. up next, the legal side of the scyberattack on sony pictures. our legal guys are here. what they say about this case. we are about to make more gooddeliveriesverybody. to more places than anybody on earth. we have the speed. we have the technology. and we have the team. we made over 15 billion successful deliveries last year. 15 billion! football has a season. baseball has a season. this is our season.

if yand you're talking toevere rheumyour rheumatologiste me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira giving me new perspective. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work

♪you better pledge ♪ your allegiance♪ ♪you're not the only one ♪listen up forefathers ♪i'm not your son ♪you better help the children ♪let them have some fun ♪some fun ♪some fun.

all right. another long list of problems for sony pictures. former employees have now filed four lawsuits against the company. the suits claim the company ignored warnings about the attacks and failed to protect their personal information. the suits also claim the company knew its systems were vulnerable for years. the group responsible for the attack is called the guardians of peace. it says it has social security

numbers of 47,000 current and former employees. let's bring in our legal guy, avery friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from cleveland. good to see you. >> hi, fredricka. >> and richard herman joining us from las vegas. good to see you. >> hi, fred. >> okay, so richard, you first. you say, this really isn't a good case. why? >> well, first of all, they hired david boyce to represent sony. so having said that, i think you could turn around and walk away. he may be the best attorney in the united states, but having said that, these cases are really -- i mean, they're very, very difficult to prove. they'll probably get class action status. the damages in these cases are not large at all. it's more in a sort of remedial step to try to help sony prepare in the future. but were they negligent? were they reckless? were these notices placed? can they prove that sony had knowledge that this was going to happen -- >> so even though these employees and former employees say that it was common knowledge

that the system was vulnerable, even if they didn't have any real specificity of who might be hacking into it, that's just not enough, that's not enough of a defense? >> this is the largest hack in the history of the united states. >> but the thing that i agree with is, 95% of the existing protocols and systems essentially would have been defeated anyhow with this kind of hack. while i agree, it might be a challenge, you know what, if you're one of the 15,000 employees, and there were 35 million files released and put in the public domain, you're going to do something. and i think, ultimately, where this winds up is the matter is going to be granted class action status. there will be remediation. systems, including encryption, will be put into place. but in terms of recovery, not very much. this is an important case, principally, but in the terms of the big load on the other end, the only people that will make out will be the attorneys. >> huh. s so i wonder -- i mean, i guess

every employee hopes they can entrust their employer -- if i'm going to give you my social security number or anything else that is personal, that you have a safe place for it. so, is it the case that these employees would say, wait a minute, you offered us those assurances, but there are vulnerabilities, there have been vulnerabilities, and so, on that basis alone, aif ray, i can, you know, build my case against you? >> and that's what the theory would be. but, again, the ultimate factual question is, were the efforts made by sony pictures and the corporation at large reasonably sufficient to protect employees? and that's the standard that a federal district judge is going to have to answer. i think it's likely, since we know the existing protocols are what most companies use, as technology evolves, yes, there are going to be better ones, but in a case like this, i think it's going to be difficult for the employees ultimately to prevail on the merits. >> so richard, are there any

other potential legal resources? >> well, some of the legal resources may be from the actors -- now that the movie is not being put out there in the public and they may have had a piece of the proceeds of the movie, so they can consider suing sony based on that. i know seth rogen said he's not going to do it. >> what's the claim? >> sony's not releasing the movie. >> but that's different. that's different than the employee claim. we're talking about litigation. >> the potential litigation. >> the speech issue we're -- >> we've moved on from the employee claim. i don't think it's a viable claim, fred. i don't think it's going to go. they may smoke and mirror it up. >> the class action, the class action, fredricka, i think is the minor legal issue. the big legal issue, to me, the the speech issue. how on earth, and we got a taste of robert linton's position that we'll see in more detail tomorrow, but the fact that there was a capitulation, and i agree with the president. i think there was. hooray for george clooney,

ashame on the industry not talking about -- >> what are you talking about? the movie theaters wouldn't show the movies? >> linton says, we didn't acquiesce, it wasn't sony that made that decision. but if movie theaters say we're not going to show it, there are no -- >> exactly! >> there isn't a venue or place to show it. >> a contract between sony and the exhibiters. maybe mr. linton talked about that, but it seemed to me the fear was corporate risk aversion. it wasn't about speech, it wasn't about expression. there should have been an effort. the idea of physical threats from a tin horn dictator, come on. i mean, i think -- shame on -- >> and a bomb goes off in that movie theater. who do you think they're going to sue? sue the movie theater and sue sony. >> that's not reasonable. that's an awful argument. >> no, it's foreseeable and it would happen that way. >> all right. and now we know what kind of arguments may have taken place in the boardroom there at sony, right? >> i'm sure. >> stick around. we've got more. another case we want to talk to you about. this one involving the ferguson

grand jury and words that some of the eyewitnesss lied that the d.a. knew that. straight ahead. ♪ when you don't get enough sleep... and your body aches... you're not yourself. tylenolpm relieves pain and helps you fall

fast asleep and stay asleep. we give you a better night. you're a better you all day. tylenol®

the prosecutor who brought the police killing of michael brown before a grand jury now says some eyewitnesss were clearly lying. it has been a month since the grand jury decided not to indict officer darren wilson for brown's death. st. louis county prosecuting attorney robert mckullculloch s about this case. >> even though they're not under oath, that's another potential offense, a federal offense. but i thought it was much more important to present the entire picture and says, this is what this witness said she saw, even though there was a building between where the witness said he was and where the events occurred, so they couldn't have seen that. or the physical evidence didn't support what the witness is saying. >> let's bring back our legal guys. avery and richard. okay, i'm seeing the head

shaking already. mcculloch says that eyewitnesss were lying and he won't pursue perjury charges. should these witnesses be prosecuted for perjury or, richard, should it be the case that the prosecutor faces some sort of charge orred ed admonis for knowing that they were lying but still presenting them to the grand jury. >> i also actually praised him the way he handled the grand jury process in the michael brown case. now i'm calling for his immediate resignation as a prosecutor. >> oh, no! >> fred, you have no conception of how important the grand jury is. if you don't make a deal before there's an indictment, you're in another realm. any plea deal you make is going to be through the roof. you're not going to get such a good deal anymore. people do not know the impact of an indictment once it hits someone. people lose bank accounts, they lose friends, they lose partnerships, they lose jobs. just on a mere indictment. just on an allegation. the grand jury process is

sacrosanct. and if some people get in front of a grand jury and intentionally lie and the prosecutor knows they're lying, they must be prosecuted martha stewart, while she's setting the christmas table, can't believe it. she got convicted of lying to the feds. not securities fraud. these people are going to walk. they should all be indicted. all these people who lied, including the grand jury. >> okay, so avery, why do you disagree so vehemently against what richard is saying. because he's talking about not only should the prosecutor be facing -- should be fired or resigned, but that people who are perjuring themselves should be punished as well. do you disagree? >> let's dial it down. my view is -- and richard's not going to disagree with this. the fact is that every day in courtrooms all across america, people are not telling the truth. is everyone indicted for -- >> but isn't it something then

when you know someone's not telling the truth and still present them, that they are a credible eyewitness, aren't the grand jurors counting on you to say that this is a credible witness. but if it turns out that this is not a credible witness and you knew that, i mean, who are they supposed to believe? >> the grand jury has the obligation to make its own independent assessment. and the reason, i think -- >> not the issue. >> -- the other argument that we indict everybody and throw the prosecutor out, totally misses the issue that prosecutors have discretion. if you're going to indict everybody, you're going to shut down our judicial system. >> wrong. >> i think, and i'm saying this respectfully, it's nonsensical. the fact is that mcculloch had to make a judgment. there were white witnesses, there were black witnesses. many of them were not truthful -- >> that has nothing to do with this. >> -- over 60 witnesses, what are you going to indict everybody? it's just, i think, an impractical, and frankly irrational decision. >> so we should all be thinking,

then, in any kind of grand jury process, that there is a possibility that there is no vetting of eyewitnesss, that anyone who claims to have seen something, anyone and all of those people would be called to the grand jury? it seems like the answer is no. that there would be some sort of vetting. and there's a selection process, as to which eyewitnesss are presented, right? >> sure! >> okay, listen -- >> but when a prosecutor doesn't guarantee what a witness is going to say. they may believe -- the prosecutor may believe that a witness is not being truthful -- >> if the prosecutor states. >> the grand jury -- >> if a prosecutor states -- >> go, richard. >> if the prosecutor states, i know this witness lied in front of the grand jury, that witness is like a loaded gun at someone, and that is attempted murder. and if a witness goes in front of a grand jury and intentionally lies to deceive the grand jury, that person must be prosecuted.

>> it's unbelievable, fred. >> he's saying, i know these witnesses lie! they have to be prosecuted. >> it happens every day! >> doesn't matter. they have to be prosecuted? >> okay, now we are all learning something. this has been very enlightening to hear his conversation, and then to hear, too -- >> the reality of the system, right. >> avery, that you say, yeah, that is the reality. this is not unusual. all right, richard, avery, thanks so much. hey, happy holidays. we've got our christmas colors on? >> feliz navidad. >> we didn't call each other. i want you to know that. >> i know. it just works out that way. >> all right, gentleman, thank you so much. good to see you. and we will be right back.

with t-mobile and iphone 6 you can make wi-fi calls beyond the reach of cellular networks. hey brandon what's up? so you can talk from down here. smile for grandma! or text pictures from up here. ok, there we go, should we send a photo? you can even make calls, way over here. talk and text over wi-fi, with wi-fi calling on iphone 6. only from t-mobile. now get iphone 6 for $0 down.

will thank you. , sir? ordering chinese food is a very predictable experience. i order b14. i get b14. no surprises. buying business internet, on the other hand, can be a roller coaster white knuckle thrill ride. you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. and often even more. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish.

thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $89.95 a month. comcast business. built for business. north korea claiming it's being framed for a cyberterrorist threat against sony and movie theater patrons, president obama is promising the u.s. will respond. also, will winter storms impact the travel plans for the holidays. we've got your latest forecast, straight ahead. and find out if you can feel younger and live longer. dr. sanjay gupta has tips that could change your life.

hello, i'm fredricka whitfield. we begin with new developments out of havana today. president raul castro applauding president obama's decision to thaw relations between the two countries. he also cautioned, there is a long road ahead for the two countries. cnn's patrick upman was at this morning's address. so, was this the tone and content that was expected from raul castro? >> it depends on who was watching the speech. for those of us who, on occasion, get to see raul castro in person, which is sometimes rare, but they obviously wanted the international media there today, it was vintage raul accuracy tr castro. he's a military man, compared to fidel castro. gave a short speech and very direct. he didn't change his tone that much. he was conciliatory towards president obama and the u.s. he talked about the need for resumed relations, talked about

how he looked forward to the country and working of that you are differences, but also pointed out that lots of differences do remain, and that at least in his opinion, the united states doesn't have the right to meddle in cuba's affairs. he said that cuba would not try to change its domestic policies or foreign policies, to please the united states. and so, the sense we're getting here is very much the revolution will continue, as a single party communist form of government. that there will not be many more dramatic reforms here. and that, you know, as raul castro said, you know, next week is going to be the anniversary, at the end of this month, i should say, will be the anniversary of the cuban revolution. 57 years, and he said that he expects the revolution to last 570 years. so for many people who think this is sort of the dying throws of the cuban revolution, raul castro is obviously not with them. he also confirmed, fred that he will be in panama in april for the summit of the americas. president barack obama will be there. so we're setting up the next

meeting between these two presidents. fr fred? >> interesting. you live there. now, what have ordinary cubans been sharing with you since that announcement on wednesday? what are they looking forward to? what are they nervous about? >> reporter: oh, they've been asking me so many questions. they've heard they will be able to use very soon u.s. credit cards. of course, many people here have family in the u.s. and they would like to think that the family can just get them a u.s. credit card, and instead of sending money via the cuban government, which ends up keeping about 20%, there are estimates at $4 billion a year come from the united states to cubans here from the relatives. so, that could be a lot more money for people. you know, depending on how that's worked out. they've read that the u.s. will allow people to import construction materials, which is badly needed, you've seen pictures of cuba and lots of the country, particularly, havana is just falling apart after all the years and lack of maintenance. but, you know, we don't know yet

if the cuban government will allow those construction materials, badly needed construction materials in. so, you know, a lot of us are hoping for more details today, in this speech. we just didn't get them. you know, right now, it's going to be a slow road, as raul castro said, and he, at least, doesn't seem to be wanting to speed up things, already more than the historic announcement this week has sped things up. >> and i wonder, patrick, have you noticed any, you know, i guess, obvious response or reactions from people. do they seem like they're a little bit more upbeat, even, because they may be more hopeful about what may be around the corner, even though they didn't hear any real specific changes that are happening in the immediate? >> reporter: absolutely, fred. people call this our christmas present. they feel that after so long here, of having nothing to look forward to, the government lowering expectations,

basically, to nothing. and things just consistently getting worse. finally, some good news. and as i've been saying, you know, we haven't seen the fine print. it's going to take a while to see all the ripple effects. but at least in the sense of the cuban people do not feel cut off, they do not feel forgotten, that there will be more exchanges between the u.s. and cuban people. and they really do see that as a good thing. >> interesting. patrick oppmann, thanks so much, from havana. all right. now to another major story we're following this hour. north korea's response to the cyberattack on sony pictures. the country issued a statement today, that included a warning, several insults to the united states, and oddly enough, an offer to cooperate with washington. alexandra field joining us now from new york. so alexandra, what exactly is meant from this statement? >> well, i think this statement actually reflects what a lot of people would have anticipated coming from north korea. it comes from their state-run news agency, it is long, it is rambli rambling, full of accusations

and that bizarre request. they start out by saying, whoever is going to frame our country for a crime should provide concrete evidence. and it says, america's childish investigation result and its attempt to frame us for this crime shows their hostile tendency towards us. and then, we will not tolerate the people who are willing to insult our supreme leader but even when we retaliate, we will not conduct terror against innocent moviegoers. and this statement finally goes on to say that north korea and the u.s. should do a joint investigation into the hack and then the statement says that if the u.s. refuses to cooperate in that investigation and if they continue to name north korea as having backed this cyberattack, which breached sony's data, that there will be consequences for u.s. obviously, we will not be seeing a joint investigation. proceeding, the white house has spoken very forcefully about this. top officials in washington has

called this a brazen attack and the white house has said that a response is being planned. it will be a proportional response, but they are not talking this point about the details of whiat kind of retaliation we could see here. >> and the serious consequences that north korea threatens still very ominous. alexandra field, thank you so much. all right, "the interview," the movie, it has probably drawn more headlines than ever for a movie that was never even officially released. and now the question is, will it ever be seen by the masses. and what company may step up to get that movie out. here now is brian stelter. >> reporter: hi, fred. the big question this weekend, will any company step up and help sony release this movie? that's what i'm working on today, trying to figure out if there's any big digital distributor, like netflix or youtube, or any movie theater chain, that is now willing to help sony get the movie out. there's obviously lots of interest, all of a sudden, in seeing this film. you know, this was a movie that only has a $44 million budget,

wasn't getting a ton of attention, until the cyberattack at sony happened. now, folks are focused on this, people want to know what all the fuss is about. there's an editorial in the new york "daily news" this morning saying pratism demands, show the movie, and show it now. so, how might sony do that? well, it has a variety of options. one of my sources of the company say, lots of options. for example, they could try to get into theaters, they could try to get it online, they could try to get it on to cable video on demand systems. you know, when you're sitting there on the couch at home and rent a movie via your remote control. any company that helps sony do that might be vulnerable to the same kind of hacking that sony fell victim to. so there are understandable concerns about that. meanwhile, sony is still functioning. i've got to say, they're still making movies, still making tv shows, even though this has been a disaster for their companies. on friday, they released a big new movie, "annie," it's expected to make tens of millions at the box office. it really is a glimmer of good

news for an otherwise embattled film study. and we will see if "annie" and sony's other movies will be joined by "the interview" after all at the theaters or online in the m coing weeks. >> thanks so much. president obama criticized sony for cancelling the movie's release, saying this could set a dangerous precedent. >> i am sympathetic to the concerns that they face. having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake. >> the ceo of sony pictures, who has been a supporter of the obama white house, fired back in an interview with our fareed zakaria. >> you are well known as somebody who supported. president obama. >> yes. >> were you disappointed in what you heard today? >> i would be fibbing to say i wasn't disappointed. i, you know, the president and i haven't spoken. i don't know exactly whether he

understands the sequence of events that led up to the movies not being shown in theaters and, will ever, i would disagree with the notion that it was a mistake. it's a generally held view by the public and the press that that's what happened. and maybe that's how that view was held by him. but knowing, as i do, the facts and how they've unfolded, you know, we stood extremely firm in terms of making certain that this movie would appear in movie theaters. >> so, fareed, with us now, so what is the next step for sony? are they determined to make sure that that film is never released for public consumption, or what is the next plan? >> no, actually, what was really striking about "the interview" was that we learned a lot of new stuff. sony has not pulled the movie. as far as they're concerned, they want the public to see the

movie. what happened, michael lynton said is that the movie theaters came to sony and said, we will not show this movie. they were worried about attacks, they were worried about the stores next-door to them in the malls, started coming and complaining. and one by one, each of the big movie chains started pulling out. at that point, they were faced with the reality that there was no one who was going to show the movie, so they canceled, in his words, the december 25th release of the movie, meaning, they still seemed to hope that they can, at some later date, release the movie, or release it in another form, online, or in dvds. and those discussions are continuing, he told me. >> and then, what did he say about trying to better protect them, you know, as a company? i mean, because if there's a hack now, there's likely to be another attempt later. >> yep, i asked him, i said, you know, did you have holes in your cybersecurity? michael lynton, the ceo of sony,

said the fbi looked into this very thoroughly and he was very complimentary about the fbi. he said that they told sony that sony had one of the best cybersecurity systems in place, that the problem here was, you had a very sophisticated state-sponsored attack. that those are very difficult to protect against and in their view, this is the fbi's view, the vast majority, i think he said to me, 90% of corporations, would have succumbed to this kind of an attack. that's a very scary thought, because what it tells you is that any company in america is vulnerable, if, if the hackers have the support, resources, and mechanisms of a state like north korea. >> and you can see the complete interview with sony entertainment ceo michael lynton tomorrow morning on "fareed zakaria gps" at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. okay, so that holiday travel, it's not going to be easy next week. a big winter storm is on the

horizon. but these california snowboarders, oh, they're making the best of it. that looks kind of fun, doesn't it? oh, nighttime too. crazy! what can we expect over the holidays? that's coming up next. what you're doing now, janice. blogging. your blog is just pictures of you in the mirror. it's called a fashion blog, todd. well, i've been helping people save money with progressive's discounts. flo, can you get janice a job? [ laughs ] you should've stuck to softball! i was so much better at softball than janice, dad. where's your wife, todd?

vacation. discounts like homeowners', multi-policy -- i got a discount on this ham. i've got the meat sweats. this is good ham, diane. paperless discounts -- give it a rest, flo. all: yeah, flo, give it a rest.

oh, a blessing to some, a nightmare to others. it's already snowing in the sierras and northern california, creating some great snowboarding conditions. of course, they're the ones who love it.

and the northeast and midwest, well, guess what? they're about to take a hit of another kind. a winter storm expected to dump snow, rain, and bring heavy winds during christmas week. cnn meteorologist karen maginnis, joining me now. it's great from you're on the slopes, but usually, for anybody else, not so great, unless you're building snowmans. >> and it's pretty messy for folks across the great lakes. chicago maybe the area that could be hit the hardest, as far as airport delays are concerned. but pretty much from minneapolis to chicago to detroit. those are the areas that are looking at the development of what is still an evolving, significant winter storm system. but we'll watch this march its way towards the east. let's give you a different perspective. there's that area of low pressure, we take you into wednesday, early morning, area of low pressure right over the great lakes. on the backside of this, colder air. we will see some snowfall with this. further to the south and ahead of the system, that's where we'll see the rainfall. so, just to give you a broader view as to what's happening, that cold air dives to the

south, the wind starts to pick up, and it's going to be brutal. new york city, we go from 40s to 50s. so you're in the warm sector of the system, but the rainfall will materialize. but look at chicago. 40s to 30s. snow showers, and about a 60% likelihood. it begins on christmas eve, should taper off on christmas day. a powerful winter storm system blasts the west coast, could see snowfall measured in feet. and take a look at kingville. this is in the sierra nevada. this is just to the west of tahoe, where they saw significant snowfall already. but that storm system moves across the interior west and slow going if you're headed through some of those mountain passes in washington state and into oregon. because you will need it. probably chains required. >> oh, my goodness. >> for christmas. >> that's right. that will be the christmas gift. >> all right, karen maginnis, thank you. >> all right. sony says it didn't back down when it pulled its movie about north korea. we'll hear from a couple of

hollywood stars who were criticizing sony's decision. dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future.you. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life.

i was thinking about htaking this speed test from comcast business. oh yeah? if they can't give us faster internet or save us money, they'll give us 150 bucks. sounds like a win win. guys! faster internet? i have never been on the internet and i am doing pretty well. does he even work here? don't listen to the naysayer. take the comcast business speed test. get faster speeds or more savings, or we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business. all right. as we reported, sony has canceled the release of the movie, "the interview." it's a comedy with a plot to kill north korean leader kim jong-un. now some hollywood stars are expressing their frustration over the decision to pull the movie.

sony is insisting it didn't give into to the hackers to attacked the company. here's paul vercammen. >> gentleman, you are entering into the most dangerous country on earth. >> reporter: sony entertainment's move to pull "the interview" from heaters has touched off fear and loathing in showbiz. >> that's it? so kim jong-un gets to decide which movies we make? >> reporter: george clooney is one of the most outspoken celebrities on first amendment issues. clooney's publicist confirms that the actor wrote a petition of support for sony that he wanted entertainment power brokers to sign. "we know that to give into these criminals now will open the door for any group that would threaten freedom of expression, privacy, and personal liberty." but deadline how would reports that no executive signed the clooney letter after the sony hack. >> this whole thing is just scary, man. it's juniyour e-mails and priva stuff. the whole town is scared. everybody's got to be scared. >> reporter: but in one decisive

moment, sony banned "the interview" from theaters. >> i am so disappointed. i wanted to see the movie. i think this is the wrong thing to do. i hear in the film meryl streep is great as kim jong-un. and i said, okay, if they're not going to show "the interview," that's it, no more north korean movies for me. >> reporter: perhaps not for everyone. insiders predict a new chilling effect on controversial film subjects. a steve carell thriller project set in north korea also just got scrapped. >> you're not going to see villains that have anything to do with that region and could be perceived as being anti-north korean or chinese and even iran people are saying is off-limits. >> reporter: in hollywood, there's solidarity for "the interview,"set rogen, a bankable showbiz triple threat, actor, writer, producer. the franco/rogen acting team has delivered to sony the young male audience and big profits. "pineapple express" and "this is

the end" cost little to make and racked in more than $100 million worldwide. but dollar signs couldn't save this sign. "the interview's" billboards being ripped down at sunset and vine, dead center of angry, nervous hollywood. paul vercammen, cnn, los angeles. >> wow. that is one way to set the stage. so joining me right now, howard bragman, vice chairman of reputation.com. and lori siegel, technology correspondent for "cnn money." well, good to see you -- well, we see you, lori, and we'll hear from howard, he's on the phone with us. howard, let me begin with you. is sony's image tannrnished by this hack? and now even we heard from paul vercammen's piece, they've shelled another movie to not be misconstrued by north korea? >> sony has had a lot of reputational damage from this. probably even more than we know. certainly the hacked e-mails, the charges of racism.

but i was talking to a very important hollywood insider last night, who told me that a lot of people, talent agencies, big, powerful people, have thousands of e-mails that haven't been made public yet and, people behind the scenes in hollywood are actually going through them and they're seeing even more provocative and interesting stuff on there. no, i'm telling, this is somebody who literally went through these e-mails, looked at his own position in these e-mails, and a great deal of damage done. but let me say this. i think if we went through any studio's e-mails for ten years, we'd find a parallel kind of situation. but unfortunately, sony's standing alone here. and that's the part that's kind of really disturbing to me. that other studios wouldn't stand with them. >> but you know, howard, those are two things you're talking

about. there is the gossip that will come from e-mails being made public and people feeling like, you know, their dirty laundry is being aired, and then there is the influence of a huge movie company and it influences whether they will air something, whether they will continue with production, or whether they will no longer stand behind the merit of a production, because of hacking. >> right. well, let's start with the gossip. first of all, it transcends gossip when it affects talent relationships and talent questions, whether they might want to be in business with any particular studio. so, that's certainly a financial issue. the second thing, the first amendment issue, i'm a thousand percent with you on the page, but i also think sony did pull the movie from theaters, but i also think that the theater owners blink first, and without -- >> wouldn't it have been better, maybe, for sony, though, if sony

just went ahead and said, you know, we can't find a movie theater to air this movie, but we stand behind the production. that would have been sending a different message. >> i agree. i would have just released the movie online and said, go ahead. enjoy. and kind of one in their own way. the reality is, everything gets out online anyway. this movie is going to be out online. we're all going to see it at some point when we want to. nervous, like the threat to the first amendment here. it's very scary and i was a little put off by what the president said, yesterday, that he was disappointed in sony and a little perplexed, because i'm thinking, wouldn't you think sony and parts of the federal government are talking about these terrorist threats? whether to show the movies? and if there wasn't that level of communication, i certainly would have thought there should have been. >> yeah. well, that was a response from the president, who said, you know, i wish sony would have called me.

but, lori, let's bring you into this now, waiting ever so patiently here. help us understand. is sony a microcosm of just how vulnerable companies of that magnitude are, as it pertains to hacking, their private information being made public without, you know, its involvement? >> you know, what's so scary about this, fred, is many, many companies would not have been able to withstand this kind of cyberattack. this is a very, very sophisticated cyberattack. but let me tell you what's even more scary. if you look at the dark corners of the web, these types of attacks, the tools and the malware needed are being sold online to different cybercriminals. so you can look at images. we've been able to pull some images from the dark web of these kind of hacks being sold for something like $500. i spoke to one source. he said the kind of malware needed for this kind of hack, you can buy and sell online from about $500 to $1,000. when you take a step back, that's really scary, because this hack was very sophisticated. but in the future, you might not

even have to be that sophisticated to have to go buy and sell the tools needed, not build them from the ground up. and what one other security source said to me, it's like they had such -- they didn't even need to be so sophisticated. it's like when you come to a lot of the american companies, you're walking through a neighborhood and the doors are simply unlocked. and i think that is what we really need to take away from here, fredricka. >> interesting. and howard, i'll let you button this up. i wonder, if this is an unwinnable situation, because you're talking about, shouldn't a big company be talking to the white house, when you talk about cyberterrorism, but at the same time, then you've got the sentiment of, wait a minute, wouldn't that be ultimately censorship? you've got to get approval from the white house before you release a movie? i mean, so, how do you find some balance here in terms of sharing information and protecting information? >> well, i think it's exactly what you said. it is a balancing act. you're walking on a tightrope and i think sony and every other production studio out there has

to have the courage of their convictions. what we can't afford to do is have anybody who's unhappy with some sort of release threaten terrorism and have companies pull the release, because some attorney told them they had to do it. we have to have some courage in our convictions. and, we have to stand for something, or we stand for nothing, ultimately. >> okay. and lori, i'll let you button it up, actually. so should companies feel rather hopeful that there are some protections in place. if it's not there now, then there is something in the near future to protection them against these kinds of hacking schemes, whether it be inside country or whether it be outside. >> i should hope so. i think this has started a nationwide conversation about security, because for the first time, we're seeing just how bad this can be. and i'll tell you, fredricka, from talking to folks in hollywood, from talking to insiders at sony, they just say they feel so helpless and violated right now. they're all using their personal e-mails. one source i just got off the

phone with in hollywood said, this could 1,000% lead to self-censorship. and the whole area just feels paralyzed, and i think this feeling, everyone in the nation is beginning to wrap their head around, this this might lead to some sort of change and investment in better security. >> interesting. laurie seagall, howard bragman, thank you both for being with us. and happy holidays. a brand new immigration detention center opening in texas. it's the largest one ever and it's already being blasted by critics. find out why in a arrive report.

i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara®. it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ... stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®... ...your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems- these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. in a medical study, most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin... ...and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer.

ask your doctor about stelara®. ♪ben... well, that was close. you ain't lyin'. let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze.

when you don't get enough sleep... and your body aches... you're not yourself. tylenolpm relieves pain and helps you fall fast asleep and stay asleep. we give you a better night. you're a better you all day. tylenol®

bottom of the hour. welcome back, i'm fredricka whitfield. here's a look at the top stories making news right now. north korea claims it's being framed by the united states for the cyberattack on sony pictures, and it warns of serious consequences if the u.s. continues to link pyongyang to the attack, and refuses to team up with north korea in an investigation. meantime, sony is denying it caved in to the hackers' threats by not releasing the film, "the interview." ceo michael lynton says the move was-based on the fact that major theater companies decided not to show the movie. and the parents of a man accused of killing 12 people at a colorado movie theater 12 years ago are begging for his life to be spared. james holmes' mother and father issued their plea in a statement. it comes just a month before

jury selection in his trial is scheduled to begin. and prosecutors have refused a plea deal that would send holmes to prison for life. police say the 27-year-old used tear gas and opened fire with an ar-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a handgun. 58 others were wounded in the attack. and there are new developments today in havana. cuban president raul castro praising the white house's move towards normalizing relations. he also told the country's national assembly there's still, quote, a long and difficult road ahead, unquote, before sanctions are lifted. earlier this week, cuba released american hostage alan gross from prison. and chrysler is expanding its recall of cars and trucks equipped with the takata air bags to more than 3 million older model vehicles worldwide. the recall comes over fears the air bags can explode and send shrapnel into drivers and

passengers. chrysler had limited its recall to areas with high humidity, where the air bags are believed to be more likely to rupture. and amazing video to show you from this accident northeast of atlanta. and you can see an officer making a routine traffic stop there, as he's walking towards the camera, and then that happens. wow. a fedex truck barreling right into the police vehicle. rescue workers needed the jaws of life to actually pull the fedex driver out. he was airlifted to a hospital. the officer, amazingly, was not seriously injured. and it is just a building, but it's got a lot of people upset. it's a brand-new immigration detention center. the largest one ever. the controversy, next. ♪ ah, ♪ h it. ♪ push it. ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby.

if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good! get ready foat the volkswagen engineered holidsign-then-drive event. right now, for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a new volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta and the precisely engineered passat tdi. ah, the gift of clean diesel. for the new volkswagen on your list this year, just about all you need, is a pen. festive, isn't it? get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models.

♪you better pledge ♪ your allegiance♪ ♪you're not the only one ♪listen up forefathers ♪i'm not your son ♪you better help the children ♪let them have some fun ♪some fun ♪some fun.

earlier this year, tens of thousands of children fleeing central america and crossing into the u.s. illegally.

many of them, unaccompanied minors. others brought into the country by a guardian, usually their mom. well, nick valencia joining me now. so, nick, the immigrants led by guardians, some have said that the locations that they have been held, for processing, have been inhumane. there are a lot of negative, i guess, descriptions. but flip side is, many say, you know, they're being given a fresh start. >> it depends on who you ask. if you ask the federal government, they'll say, we are doing everything in our power to make sure they're in safe facilities and being given humane treatment. but human rights activists say that do not like these facilities, the largest of which opened up earlier this week. i spoke with victor with the american immigration lawyers association and he says there's alternative methods to these

facilities. >> the least expensive alternative would be the alternatives to detention. whether it be churches who are in charge of these individuals, who can be responsible for them or community-based organizations or even one of our most criticized program, you know, giving these individuals electronic bracelets. at the very least, that would be an option that would not cost the taxpayers money. i mean, there's a lot of money being wasted in detaining children who are 3 and 4 years old, and mothers who are young mothers, fleeing their country. >> just how much money is being wasted? the facts are, it's about $260 million cost to the taxpayer, about $200 per family unit, and two others, one the carnes, pennsylvania, and one in artesia, new mexico, which is closing down. >> and this latest facility that is being opened is not as a result of the influx. it is something that was already in the works. and i wonder if part of the problem is, the word

"detention," perhaps if it had a different name of the facility, it would be sending a different kind of message. >> sure. well, i talked to him about that. what is it really at the crux of issue here? why don't you like these facilities? they seem to be working out. there are a lot of space for these families, 2,400 beds. he says it's the way they're treated and they're not given legal representation. he believes if they are given legal representation or at least that there's that option, more of them would understand that they could file for asylum and there wouldn't be these scenes and scenarios that you're looking at. this summer, the images that were emerging from these detention housing facilities, really deplorable conditions. >> but many of them stayed within the united states, they were not turned away. >> let's say you have somebody coming from mexico or canada, there's a very quick kind of revolving door. you can send them out, essentially, within 24 hours. that's not the policy for central american countries, which is why so many of them got sort of caught up in the system and why you saw a lot of them

now. now, detentions are up. the federal government has been successful in detentions this year. it's figuring out what to do with them afterwards, and of course, the criticism from human rights advocates and immigration rights advocates. you're never going to please everybody, of course. dhs thinks this is the best solution. talk to somebody like him, he says it's absolutely morally wrong and inhumane. >> thanks for bringing it to us. appreciate it. and we'll be right back. will that be all, sir?

thank you. ordering chinese food is a very predictable experience. i order b14. i get b14. no surprises. buying business internet, on the other hand, can be a roller coaster white knuckle thrill ride. you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. and often even more. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish. thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $89.95 a month. comcast business. built for business.

we're now only 11 days away until the end of 2014, so we're taking a look back at the year today. what did you search for online? google has announced the top searches for the year, and at number five, the als ice bucket challenge. number four, the missing malaysian airlines flight 370. number three, the ebola outbreak. and number two, the world cup tournament. and the top search for 2014, the death of robin williams. at some point in your life, someone will say to you, you're only as old as you feel. well, a new study just might be

able to back up that saying. cnn's chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, has the science behind feeling young. >> well, fred, i think for a long time, people have sort of guessed that there's a lot to this notion of how optimistic you are, how young you feel, and the impact that has on your overall health. but this is one of the first large studies to really put some definition around this. they followed around 6,500 people, the average age, kron logic age was 68.5 years. people who had the lowest self-piself self-perceived age, they were almost twice as likely to still be alive 8 years later as compared who had the oldest

self-perceived age. so simply feeling younger did seem to have some benefit. these were people who all had very similar health backgrounds, but simply feeling younger and reporting your self-perceived age as younger did seem to have an impact. but we know more than ever about how we age, but we still don't know why we age, exactly. we still don't know why some people really live longer, with exactly the same health profiles. but we have found over the years, that there are things that make a difference. for example, staying social. we talk about it a lot on this program, but just simply staying social really seems to make a difference. you're engaged with other people, you're more likely to be moving. weight resistant-exercises. another big one. we focus a lot on aerobics in this country, but we need to do things to combat natural muscle loss as well and weight-resistant exercises can make a big difference. and finally, simply taking care. taking care of yourself, taking care of your loved ones, making sure you're really monitoring your health on a regular basis. so, fred, the question a lot of

people ask is, how old do i feel? take a look, that's how old i feel. how old do you feel, fred? and how about you at home? tweet me @dr. sanjay gupta. and fred, you and i, because we did that triathlon, hopefully we'll keep that up. >> i feel younger, but the the question is how old or how young i do look. i don't want a response on that but thanks, sanjay. >> she's an unlikely ballerina. my coming interview to the ballerina and her collaboration with a music superstar. ♪

cut it out. >>see you tomorrow. ♪ nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our angie's list app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪

. this holiday weekend in brooklyn, new york the classic ballet performance of "the nut

cracker" makes history with a new look. she's misty copeland first black soloist. i met up with her in breaking barriers in ballet and beyond. >> i'm misty copeland, i'm 32 years old and a soloist with the ballet theater. >> what is it like to say that. >> it's cool. it took me a while. to be a soloist, that's huge for any dancer. to go beyond that, i think takes an extra something in somebody. >> and misty copeland, indeed has that extra something. >> not necessarily to be more talented but you have to be ready to push yourself to the limits and then to be a principal dancer even more so. >> she's unique in so many ways. she's the first african-american soloist of the american ballet

theater in two decades. her new york performance in "the nut cracker" this week is groundbreaking as is her transformation. all of it giant leaps into the historically monochromatic classics. >> never saw this happening with my life but i'm just on this ride and i'm just trying to take it one day at a time. >> how are you handling it? it's quite the ride. we'll be seeing you in "the nut cracker." you have the lead of that. you had the lead of "swan lake." you're changing the face of ballet, dance, and a culture in america if not the world. i mean that is pretty heavy. >> yeah. >> or die just make it heavy? i'm sorry. >> it's always been what i wanted. i wanted to bring it to americans the way europeans

experience ballet and for people to appreciate it. and for me to share the stories of those who have come before me. that don't always get the recognition as african-american ballerinas. those are my goals and i have so much more to do. >> including next summer, a turn as juliet as in "romeo and juliet" at the met. >> i try not get ahead of myself and dive into each project as i'm working on them individually and not get overwhelmed by the bigger picture. but, i mean, it's hard to describe and i'm just happy that i have these opportunities, you know, even with "firebird" that the audience that was there that night was kind of changing, seeing a more diverse audience come to support me. it's a big deal.

>> it is a big deal. and seemed far fetched 20 years ago when as one of six children copeland would step up to a ballet bar at 13 years old in a los angeles neighborhood boys and girls club. >> it was uncomfortable. this wasn't the place that you naturally wanted to be. >> right. it was unfamiliar and scary and i was a shy introverted girl trying anything that was new was terrifying to me. so, yes it was terrifying at first. this thing, this is my life. >> but copeland writes in her memoir life in motion an unlikely ballerina her ballet instructor saw in her gifts. >> my body was agile and capable of doing everything she asked and i understood how to retain it. >> she felt alive and suddenly far away from what she describes as a chaotic and nomadic family life.

her mother moving the kids from home the home. >> an escape from my every day life. i was in this beautiful world with beautiful music. >> by 17 copeland headed for new york. they are athleticism in dance standing out, gaining special notoriety in this under armor ad going viral with 7 million views on youtube. she caught the eye of the artist known as prince who incorporated her dance on his music tour in 2010. >> is it true you felt like you had really arrived as a dancer once prince said i want you involved in my music. >> something definitely happened during that experience. as dancers we're told what to do from the moment we step into that first ballet class pup don't speak, to be given the opportunity, it was just me on a plane going to meet prince in france. and i got there and i'm saying what am i doing, what do you

want notice do. he said whatever you want. that was scary at first that freedom pushing myself as an individual and understanding the responsibilities it takes to be an artist. >> misty copeland. >> like using her celebrity to teach lessons. >> i came from humble beginnings. i wasn't supposed to be a ballerina. i'm african-american. i went through a period of, you know, being fat in their eyes and look at me now. and that's just the message that i want to continue to promote to kids. >> on this day to young girls and women at historically black all female college of spellman. >> what's the advice or encouragement you give them in their journey. >> to keep people in your life who will support whatever it is that you want to do. to not compare themselves to

other people. just know that they are beautiful. ♪ >> an unlikely ballerina finding her footing and in the process forever changing the world of ballet. >> tomorrow is misty copeland's finale performance of the american ballet theater's "nut cracker" next she will make her american debut in "swan lake" with the washington ballet in april. president obama might be starting his christmas vacation but after a cyber terror attack he still has a lot on his plate. what he's focusing on today. plus days after historic policy change with the u.s., cuban president raul castro speaks to parliament. what he says about the trade embargo and cuba's status as